Big changes are happening in the U.S. immigration system. On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) fired several immigration judges, causing concern about how this will impact the already overwhelmed immigration courts. This decision comes as former President Donald Trump continues to reshape the federal workforce.
Who Was Fired and Why?
The firings were carried out by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the department that oversees immigration courts. According to sources, at least five assistant chief judges and 13 judge candidates were let go. A union representing immigration judges says that since Trump first took office, more than 25 immigration judges, managers, and new hires have been fired.
Kerry Doyle, one of the fired judges, took to LinkedIn to share her frustration. She pointed out that the U.S. immigration court system has about 3.5 million pending cases, yet the DOJ is asking Congress for more funding to hire more judges. Firing judges while needing more of them seems confusing to many people.
The Impact on Immigration Cases
The U.S. immigration court system is already struggling. In 2024 alone, more than 1.8 million new immigration cases were filed. This has pushed the total backlog to 3.6 million cases. With fewer judges, cases will take even longer to be heard, delaying decisions for thousands of immigrants.
Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, said, “There’s support from both Republicans and Democrats to hire more immigration judges. The backlog is close to 4 million cases, and now, with these firings, the backlog will only get worse.”
Trump’s Immigration Plans
Instead of hiring more judges, Trump’s administration is focusing on mass deportations. His team is bringing in officers from agencies like the DEA, FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carry out arrests.
There’s also a plan to use Defense Department money to hire private contractors to run more detention centers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is even asking the IRS to investigate businesses that might be hiring undocumented workers.
What’s Next?
The firings are part of a bigger effort to shake up the federal workforce. Trump’s administration has already removed many U.S. attorneys and career lawyers involved in high-profile cases against him.
With millions of cases stuck in the system and a focus on deportations rather than hiring judges, the future of U.S. immigration courts is uncertain. Many worry that this will lead to even longer wait times and an even more complicated immigration process.
What do you think about these firings?
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