In a surprising move, more than a dozen immigration judges were dismissed on Friday, aligning with President Donald Trump's commitment to reduce the federal workforce. This decision has raised concerns among various stakeholders regarding the future of immigration case handling in the United States.
According to a union official who spoke with the Associated Press, 13 judges who were on the verge of being sworn in, along with five assistant chief immigration judges, were let go without any prior notification. This action follows the removal of two other judges earlier in the week, as reported by the AP. As of now, no replacements have been announced for these positions.
The U.S. immigration system is currently facing significant challenges, with the immigration court backlog reaching a record high of three million pending cases. This backlog is putting immense pressure on the existing judicial system. As reported by Fox News Digital, immigration judges are currently handling an average of 4,500 pending cases each, as per data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
In addition to the dismissal of judges, the AP reported that five top court officials were replaced by the Trump administration, including Mary Cheng, the agency’s acting director. This shake-up in leadership is part of a broader strategy to streamline operations within the immigration system.
In a related development, a memo released on January 27 by Sirce Owen, the acting director of the Department of Justice, criticized the Biden administration for undermining the core values of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Owen emphasized the ongoing efforts to restore these values and re-establish the EOIR as a model administrative adjudicatory body.
Furthermore, the Trump administration recently instructed agencies to lay off most probationary workers who lack civil service protection. This directive is seen as part of the effort to reshape the federal workforce.
The International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, representing federal employees, along with the U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, have not yet responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital regarding these recent developments.
