Trump Administration Dismisses Newly Appointed Immigration Judges
The immigration courts in the country are currently facing a backlog of cases numbering in the seven figures.
TroibNews 
The Trump administration has dismissed numerous immigration judges as part of its broader initiative to reduce the workforce by thousands.
According to a source with knowledge of the firings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, the terminations on Friday included five assistant chief immigration judges and all of the judges from the December class who have yet to take their oaths. The Associated Press reported that the total number of affected judges reached 20 within the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which manages the immigration courts and oversees 700 judges.
These dismissals come amid a staggering backlog of 3.7 million cases in the immigration courts, as President Donald Trump seeks to fulfill his commitment to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. It remains uncertain whether the judges will be replaced, but the administration is eager to address the backlog—an obstacle in its immigration policy.
The EOIR did not respond promptly to a request for comment from PMG.
Both Republicans and Democrats agree on the need for more judges and supporting personnel. During the first Trump administration, there was a concerted effort to encourage judges to expedite the processing of cases.
Kerry E. Doyle, one of the judges terminated on Friday, shared her dismissal via a LinkedIn post, where she noted that EOIR Acting Director Sirce Owen had notified her of her firing through email.
“This firing occurred despite the fact that the Immigration Court currently has in the neighborhood of 3.5 MILLION pending cases and DOJ is asking Congress for more money to hire more people at EOIR!,” Doyle, who previously held senior positions in the Biden administration, wrote in her post.
These latest firings followed the removal of four senior EOIR officials on the first day of Trump’s presidency: chief immigration judge Sheila McNulty, acting EOIR director Mary Cheng, general counsel Jill Anderson, and head of policy Lauren Alder Reid—all dismissed without prior notice.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to a source with knowledge of the firings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, the terminations on Friday included five assistant chief immigration judges and all of the judges from the December class who have yet to take their oaths. The Associated Press reported that the total number of affected judges reached 20 within the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which manages the immigration courts and oversees 700 judges.
These dismissals come amid a staggering backlog of 3.7 million cases in the immigration courts, as President Donald Trump seeks to fulfill his commitment to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. It remains uncertain whether the judges will be replaced, but the administration is eager to address the backlog—an obstacle in its immigration policy.
The EOIR did not respond promptly to a request for comment from PMG.
Both Republicans and Democrats agree on the need for more judges and supporting personnel. During the first Trump administration, there was a concerted effort to encourage judges to expedite the processing of cases.
Kerry E. Doyle, one of the judges terminated on Friday, shared her dismissal via a LinkedIn post, where she noted that EOIR Acting Director Sirce Owen had notified her of her firing through email.
“This firing occurred despite the fact that the Immigration Court currently has in the neighborhood of 3.5 MILLION pending cases and DOJ is asking Congress for more money to hire more people at EOIR!,” Doyle, who previously held senior positions in the Biden administration, wrote in her post.
These latest firings followed the removal of four senior EOIR officials on the first day of Trump’s presidency: chief immigration judge Sheila McNulty, acting EOIR director Mary Cheng, general counsel Jill Anderson, and head of policy Lauren Alder Reid—all dismissed without prior notice.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
