Trump administration fires more than a dozen immigration judges

Fox News via MSN ^ | 2/15/25 | Alexandra Koch

[Libloather]

More than a dozen immigration judges were fired on Friday, coinciding with President Donald Trump's promise to trim the federal workforce.

A union official told the Associated Press that 13 judges who were set to be sworn in, and five assistant chief immigration judges, were fired on Friday without warning.

The move comes after two other judges were dismissed this week, the AP reported. No replacements have been announced.

Fox News Digital previously reported the U.S. immigration court backlog surpassed three million pending cases.

Immigration judges currently average 4,500 pending cases each, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

[zeestephen]

Re: "Immigration Judges are appointed by the Attorney General"

Thanks for your necessary corrections, woodpusher.

I think it might be more accurate to say that IJs are hired by the Director of Immigration Review and approved by the AG.

Also, many Immigration cases (probably a majority) are settled at the Administrative Law level, before they even reach an IJ.

Also, an IJ only needs a LL.B or LL.M and an active Bar membership.

Finally, the pay scale for an IJ was $120,000 to $195,000 in January 2025.

Good lawyers are not standing in line to earn $195,000 in any major urban area in the USA.

https://www.justice.gov/eoir/Adjudicators