The front lobby of the Miami Immigration Court seen on Jan. 28, 2026 in Miami, Florida.
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Amiena Khan was supposed to have the day off that December. But, in a supervisory role at an immigration court, “you never really are on leave,” she said. So Khan was working — mostly on performance evaluations for the 36 immigration judges and dozens of staff members she oversaw at the court in Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza.
At 11:29 a.m., while in the middle of a meeting, Khan received the email she had been dreading for months: she had been fired. As her phone began blowing up, she learned that six of the judges she supervised had been terminated as well.
“As I tried to reassure them, I was trying to explain, ‘But I’ve been terminated too,'” said Khan, who had been an assistant chief immigration judge at the court. “It was chilling and — in how the terminations were effectuated — it was disrespectful. It was utter disregard of dedicated public servants.”
While Khan’s firing was upsetting, she said it wasn’t altogether shocking. The Trump administration fired nearly 100 judges in 2025. The dismissals were part of a larger push by the Trump administration to reshape America’s immigration courts.
The number of judges in the nation’s immigration courts shrunk by about a quarter in the last year due to firings and resignations — even when accounting for new hires. Twelve immigration courts have lost over half of their judges.
Numerous courts are operating with minimal staff to handle a large caseload, with some courts lacking any judges at all. The Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has lost over 400 legal assistants, attorney advisers, and legal administrative specialists. This depletion of personnel and resources in the immigration court system has led to low staff morale, increased case backlogs, and a struggling due process system.
Former judges believe that this downsizing of America’s immigration courts is a tactic by the Trump administration to speed up mass deportations and remove judges who may obstruct their agenda. The administration has defended its actions by criticizing the leniency of judges in granting asylum or other statuses under the Biden administration.
The number of permanent immigration judges has decreased significantly, with nearly 100 judges being fired and many others retiring or resigning due to discomfort with new policies. This attrition has led to a shortage of judges, with some courts now having more judges than they did previously. The firing of judges has had a ripple effect across the country, leaving many courts understaffed and overburdened.
Being an immigration judge was once seen as a stable job, but the Trump administration’s actions have shaken this perception. The administration began the year 2025 by removing leadership at EOIR, signaling a significant shift in the immigration court system. Next, the administration began firing tenured judges and DOJ employees, moving beyond probationary workers. “We have to pretend we’re not hearing or seeing anything,” said a court clerk at an immigration court who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals for their position. “Because you’re not really supposed to show emotion in court, you’re supposed to be neutral.”
Judges also feel pressure to decide cases in line with the administration’s priorities.
A public hiring campaign to beef up the immigration court system with “deportation judges” is in full swing, as the Trump administration seeks to make up for the judges who were fired or left.
“Deliver justice to criminal illegal aliens. Become a deportation judge. Save your country,” the social media ads read.
Olivia Cassin saw an advertisement for deportation judges posted online by the Department of Homeland Security on Nov. 21, 2025 — the same day that she was fired from the immigration court at 290 Broadway Court in New York.
Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in July 2025 in New York City.
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“We were like, that’s a hoax, that can’t be,” Cassin said. “And then we looked at the website for the Department of Justice, and there was the same. It’s a clear message that what you’re there to do – is not to carefully examine each case for people due process. The main point seems to be expedited deportation and resolution of cases.”
Since launching the campaign in November, DOJ has hired 17 permanent judges, most who come from ICE and other DHS backgrounds, and 52 temporary judges. The temporary judges are military lawyers approved for temporary assignments by the Pentagon.
New judges who don’t comply with the administration’s priorities may already be facing consequences. One JAG judge, Christopher Day, a U.S. Army Reserve lawyer, had granted asylum and relief from immediate deportation at a higher rate than his other JAG counterparts, according to EOIR data compiled by Mobile Pathways.
Day has been removed from his post, per EOIR’s website.
Courts squeezed, one will shutter as judges are fired
While the majority of courts across the country have lost judges, the impacts have not been spread evenly. Of the 17 new permanent judges onboarded by the Trump administration, only one has been assigned to work in a court that has lost the majority of its judges.
EOIR declined to specify how it allocates new judges, but noted that any immigration judge can hear any case at any time throughout the country to assist with caseloads.
It’s been an especially tumultuous year for the San Francisco Immigration Court. In 2025, the San Francisco court became a focal point of conflict as immigrant justice groups protested ICE arrests outside its doors. The judges in San Francisco were overwhelmed with a doubled workload at the start of the year, leading to a directive to grant asylum less frequently. This resulted in the firing and resignation of 16 judges, the highest number in the country. As a cost-saving measure, the court announced its closure at 100 Montgomery St., with cases being transferred to the Concord Immigration Court.
Smaller courts across the country have also been impacted, with many operating with two or fewer permanent judges. The stress and strain on these courts have been immense, with judges handling large caseloads with limited resources. Some courts, like the Aurora Immigration Court in Colorado and the Oakdale Immigration Court in Louisiana, are now without any permanent judges. The situation has led to a backlog of cases, with only a single judge presiding over multiple courts.
Former immigration judge Ted Doolittle described the overwhelming workload at the Hartford Immigration Court, where he worked before being terminated. The lack of resources and manpower has made it challenging for judges to handle the increasing number of immigration cases. Despite efforts to streamline operations, the impact on access to justice for immigrants remains a significant concern.
Overall, the changes in the immigration court system in 2025 have raised questions about the ability to effectively adjudicate cases and provide fair hearings for immigrants seeking asylum. It is clear that more support and resources are needed to address the growing backlog of cases and ensure timely and just outcomes for all involved. text in a different way:
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