The Trump administration has created a major bottleneck in the immigration court system by firing over two dozen immigration judges and prompting the resignation or reassignment of more than 100 others, resulting in a 70% reduction in staffing across dozens of courts. The mass vacancies have intensified an already severe backlog of over 4 million cases, including 1.5 million asylum claims.
Critics warn that the firings, many targeting judges hired during the Biden era, appear politically motivated and could undermine due process for immigrants. Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump ally now overseeing civil rights enforcement at the DOJ, has expressed support for these departures. Judges like Kerry Doyle, fired before taking the bench, argue the system needs more—not fewer—judges and prosecutors to function fairly and efficiently.
With 700 judges managing thousands of cases annually, experts say the firings will further strain the system and slow deportation efforts rather than accelerate them. Meanwhile, questions linger about the politicization of immigration courts under both Democratic and Republican administrations, raising broader concerns about judicial independence in immigration proceedings.