President Trump’s government dismissed 18 immigration judges on Friday, according to a statement by a union official, even though the president had earlier said he planned to bring in more judges to help reduce the rising backlog of cases, which now stands at 3.7 million.
The 18 terminations that happened on Friday came shortly after two other immigration judges were let go earlier in the week, making a total of 20 firings. Matthew Biggs, who leads the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, revealed this information on Saturday.
His union covers both immigration judges and other federal employees. No explanation was reportedly given to those who were dismissed.
Mr. Biggs mentioned that the country currently has over 700 immigration judges. Each one manages about 500 to 700 cases every year. Most of the matters they handle are tied to deportation proceedings, an area President Trump has placed heavy focus on since returning to office.
“This is completely confusing,” Mr. Biggs said during an interview on Saturday. “It does not reflect what the president promised during his campaign, and it’s hard to understand the logic behind it.”
Immigration Judges and Their Role in the System
Immigration judges are not part of the traditional court system but work within the Justice Department as part of administrative courts. Their responsibilities include making decisions on asylum applications and determining who should be deported from the United States. The Justice Department did not respond when asked to comment on these terminations.
For several years, the immigration court system has struggled with delays. This backlog has led to an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants staying in the country. Because their cases take years to be resolved, many of them begin to settle into life and build relationships in the communities where they live.
One of the judges recently let go, Kerry E. Doyle, shared her situation through a LinkedIn post. She explained that she had only just been appointed and had not even made a public announcement about her new position.
She wrote, “Sadly, I couldn’t escape what appears to be a political dismissal.” She had served previously as the top legal adviser for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Doyle added, “Among all the judges in my court, I had the longest and deepest background in immigration law, but that didn’t protect me from being fired.”
During President Biden’s term, Ms. Doyle had written a directive for ICE lawyers, asking them to go through their case lists and close those that were not considered priorities.
Concerns Grow About the Direction of the Court System
President Trump’s team has been carrying out wide removals across different government agencies. Back during his first term, immigration judges were told to issue decisions more quickly. That approach led to concerns about whether immigrants were getting a fair process. People who go before immigration courts do have the right to appeal a judge’s decision.
Just after Mr. Trump resumed office last month, he removed the acting leader of the U.S. immigration court system, along with three senior officials. These latest firings have added to the uncertainty about what President Trump’s goals are for immigration courts.
“This really raises an important question: Is this administration planning to shut down that process altogether?” Mr. Biggs asked.
