Trump administration fires immigration judges and deploys military lawyers
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 9
Trump administration fires immigration judges and deploys military lawyers
12 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 9
More than 113 judges have been removed since January 2025, including five in San Francisco, while up to 600 JAG lawyers were authorised as temporary replacements.
Former and current judges told the Guardian the purge targets higher asylum grant rates, intimidates sitting judges over bond and continuance decisions, and undermines judicial independence in courts with a 3 million-case backlog.
The San Francisco court closed on 1 May after shrinking from 21 judges to four, and fired judges are appealing after a board said it lacked jurisdiction to review their removals.
Could a new law creating an independent immigration court solve the system's crisis of integrity and backlog?
With federal courts and the administration clashing over detention, is the Supreme Court poised to redefine immigrants' rights?
Overhauling Justice: The Trump Administration’s 2025–2026 Immigration Court Reforms and the Fate of 3.7 Million Cases
Overview
Since early 2025, the Trump administration has launched a major overhaul of the U.S. immigration court system, combining aggressive mass deportation goals with sweeping changes to judicial processes. Backed by a massive spending bill, the administration aims to deport 1 million people a year, even as courts face a backlog of 3.7 million cases. Despite these ambitions, the number of judges has been reduced, raising concerns about the courts’ ability to handle the caseload. Critics argue that these changes undermine due process and fairness, as the system becomes more focused on speed and enforcement rather than justice.