Trump administration fires 20 immigration judges amid major govt cuts

Listen to article

The Trump administration has dismissed 20 immigration judges from backlogged courts as part of a series of moves aimed at shrinking the size of the federal government, union officials revealed on Saturday.

On Friday, 13 judges who had yet to be sworn in, along with five assistant chief immigration judges, were abruptly fired without notice, said Matthew Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, which represents federal workers. Two additional judges were let go in the past week.

It remains unclear whether these judges will be replaced. The U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which manages the immigration courts and oversees approximately 700 judges, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

With over 3.7 million cases pending, the immigration courts are severely backlogged, leading to long delays in deciding asylum cases. The move to fire judges comes amid increasing bipartisan calls for more judges and staff to help alleviate the backlog. However, during the Trump administration's first term, the administration had also pressured judges to expedite case decisions.

In addition to the firing of immigration judges, the Trump administration recently replaced five senior court officials, including Mary Cheng, the acting director of the agency. Sirce Owen, the current head of the agency, has issued a number of new directives, many of which reverse policies established under the Biden administration.

The firings are seen as part of two key priorities for the Trump administration: mass deportations and a reduction in the size of the federal workforce. Last week, the administration ordered the layoff of nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection, potentially impacting hundreds of thousands of workers.

Biggs expressed concern over the firings, stating that the actions may be part of a broader campaign to downsize the federal government. He characterised the firings as part of a pattern where employees are treated "as if they’re not human beings."

“It’s bad all around,” Biggs said