The judicial system is broken. There’s only one way to fix it.
And now Trump set off a firestorm after axing dozens of federal judges.
DOJ Terminates Immigration Judges Amid Asylum Policy Overhaul
The Department of Justice has dismissed multiple immigration judges as the Trump administration implements measures to restrict asylum claims established under the prior Biden administration, according to reports.
NPR cited sources indicating that 70 immigration judges were terminated; however, a DOJ spokesperson contested this number, stating that fewer than 55 judges were removed.
Official Response on Evaluation Process
The spokesperson rejected claims of targeted dismissals based on judges’ prior rulings or advocacy for immigrants.
“DOJ doesn’t ‘target’ or ‘prioritize’ immigration judges for any personnel decision one way or the other based on prior experience,” the DOJ spokesperson said.
“DOJ continually evaluates all immigration judges, regardless of background, on factors such as conduct, impartiality/bias, adherence to the law, productivity/performance, and professionalism.”
The spokesperson noted, “Pursuant to Article II of the Constitution, IJs (Immigration Judges) are inferior officers who are appointed and removed by the Attorney General.”
Analysts Note Shift in Enforcement Priorities
Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, stated:
“But the way the Trump administration is approaching immigration courts reflects a really high prioritization of immigration enforcement and [the administration] has really made deportations this whole-of-government effort.”
Breitbart News reported that administration officials have reduced asylum approvals and accelerated case processing:
“The asylum loophole is being closed because Biden’s 10 million illegal migrants are losing their pleas for asylum and citizenship at record rates. More illegal migrants are being ordered home, and the backlog of 1.1 million pending asylum cases is being reduced. These courtroom gains complement the administration’s policies of arresting more illegals on the streets and of detaining all new illegal migrants at the U.S. border.”
Academic Austin Kocher observed, “Between explicit policy changes and implicit threats to get in line or get fired, [asylum] judges on the whole seem to be following [Trump] orders to deny, deny, deny.”
