America’s immigration courts are in a tailspin as the Trump administration swings a heavy axe, purging nearly 100 judges since the year began.
According to Politico, this sweeping overhaul has slashed at least 98 of the roughly 700 immigration judges nationwide, leaving a battered system with soaring backlogs and cries for an independent judiciary, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges.
Since President Trump’s return to office, the dismissals have hit hard, with dozens of other judges opting to retire or resign under the pressure.
The ousted include judges who often granted asylum, held dual citizenship, or previously defended migrants, though not every fired judge fits this mold.
In New York City’s 26 Federal Plaza alone, seven female judges—Amiena Khan, Lisa Ehrens, Maria Lurye, Alice Segal, Evalyn Douchy, Theodora Kouris, and Lori Adams—were shown the door on Dec. 1, cutting the bench from 37 to 25 since January.
Chicago’s courts are gutted too, down to just 14 judges—half of what they had—while places like Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and San Francisco are described as “decimated.”
The process is cold and swift: an email from Attorney General Pam Bondi cites Article II of the Constitution, names vanish from the Department of Justice website, and fired judges vent in chat groups.
With immigration courts under the DOJ’s thumb—not the judicial branch—these at-will employees can have rulings overturned by the Attorney General, a setup many argue reeks of overreach.
Now, the Trump team is plugging holes with military lawyers as a temporary fix and recruiting so-called “deportation judges” with a 25% pay bump for new hires in hard-hit cities.
Millions of pending cases nationwide are piling up, a direct result of this slashed workforce, leaving the system on life support.
Some dismissed judges aren’t going quietly—Olivia Cassin in New York and Tania Nemer in Ohio are fighting back, with Nemer filing a lawsuit alleging discrimination over sex, national origin, and political affiliation as a dual U.S.-Lebanon citizen and Democrat.
“It’s about destroying a system where cases are carefully considered by people with knowledge of the subject matter. They’re firing everyone,” said Olivia Cassin, a former New York immigration judge. Her words paint a dire picture, but let’s be real—reforming a system bogged down by progressive policies might need a tough reset, even if the execution feels like a sledgehammer to a china shop.
“We all felt like you can’t do more damage than you already have to the immigration courts and to justice and to due process. Yet it’s like, ‘Hold my beer, watch this,’” said Judge Jennifer Peyton, fired in July from Chicago. While Peyton’s frustration is palpable, one wonders if the prior administration’s softer stance left courts too lenient, inviting this drastic course correction.
Meanwhile, Reps. Dan Goldman and Zoe Lofgren, both Democrats, are gearing up to push legislation for an independent immigration court system outside executive control, and Goldman is part of a House group suing over blocked oversight at 26 Federal Plaza. It’s a noble idea, but expecting this administration to cede power over a key policy arena might be wishful thinking at best.