Justice Department Fires 20 Immigration Judges From Backlogged Courts Amid Major Government Cuts
Source: US News and World Report/AP
Feb. 15, 2025, at 2:43 p.m.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration fired 20 immigration judges without explanation, a union official said Saturday amid sweeping moves to shrink the size of the federal government. On Friday, 13 judges who had yet to be sworn in and five assistant chief immigration judges were dismissed without notice, said Matthew Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, which represents federal workers. Two other judges were fired under similar circumstances in the last week.
It was unclear if they would be replaced. The U.S. Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the courts and oversees its roughly 700 judges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
Immigration courts are backlogged with more than 3.7 million cases, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, and it takes years to decide asylum cases. There is support across the political spectrum for more judges and support staff, though the first Trump administration also pressured some judges to decide cases more quickly.
The Trump administration earlier replaced five top court officials, including Mary Cheng, the agency's acting director. Sirce Owen, the current leader and previously an appellate immigration judge, has issued a slew of new instructions, many reversing policies of the Biden administration.
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-02-15/justice-department-fires-20-immigration-judges-from-backlogged-courts-amid-major-government-cuts
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