WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Seventeen immigration court judges have been fired in recent days, according to the union that represents them, as the United States government pushes forward with broad deportation efforts targeting immigrants in the country.
The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents immigration court judges as well as other professionals, said in a press release that 15 judges were dismissed “without cause” on Friday and another two on Monday. The union noted that these judges worked in courts across 10 states: California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
“It is outrageous and runs counter to the public interest that while Congress has authorized 800 immigration judges, we are firing a large number of immigration judges without cause,” said Matt Biggs, president of the union. “This makes no sense. The answer is to stop firing and start hiring.”
Immigration Courts at the Center of the Government’s Enforcement Efforts
The firings come as immigration courts have increasingly become a focal point of the government’s hard‑line enforcement push, and as ICE officers arrest immigrants when they appear before the courts.
A spokesperson for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Justice Department unit that oversees the courts, said in an email that the office would not comment on the firings.
Mass arrests began in May and have sown fear among asylum seekers and other immigrants appearing in court. In a scene that has become all too familiar, a judge grants the government’s attorney’s motion to dismiss deportation proceedings against an immigrant. Meanwhile, ICE agents wait in the hallway to arrest the person and place them on a fast track toward deportation as soon as they leave the courtroom.
Immigration court judges are also contending with a massive backlog of roughly 3.5 million cases, a figure that has grown in the past few years. Cases can take years to reach a final resolution, and judges and attorneys often schedule hearings on the merits more than a year in advance. Unlike criminal courts, immigrants do not have a right to counsel, and if they cannot afford an attorney, they must represent themselves—often with an interpreter helping present their case.
The Courts Are Getting a Cash Infusion
Under recently passed legislation that will allocate about $170 billion to strengthen immigration enforcement, the courts will receive a $3.3 billion funding boost. The money is intended to raise the number of judges to 800 and to hire additional staff to support them.
However, the union says that since the Trump administration took power, more than 103 judges have been fired or have left voluntarily after accepting what were described as “Crossroads” offers at the outset of the administration. The union argues that rather than speeding up the immigration court system, the DOJ firings would actually worsen delays. It notes that recruiting, hiring, and training new immigration court judges can take up to a year.
There are currently about 600 judges, according to union figures. Immigration courts fall under the Department of Justice.
