Trump admin fires 15 more immigration judges appointed under Biden administration

A new wave of immigration judge firings was carried out Friday, with 15 judges receiving notice via email that their employment would end on July 22. The judges are finishing the end of a 2-year probationary term that begane when they were appointed under the Biden administration. The Trump administration has been working to close borders while the Biden administration sought multiple semi-legal ways to get more illegal immigrants into the country.

According to two people familiar with the firings, and a confirmation from the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the judges were informed their terms would not be extended or converted into permanent appointments, according to NPR.

The email sent to the affected judges stated, "Pursuant to Article II of the Constitution, the Attorney General has decided not to extend your term or convert it to a permanent appointment." The judges were based in multiple states, including Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, New York, and California.

These firings come on top of roughly 50 other dismissals in the past six months. Many of the dismissed judges were reaching the end of their standard two-year probationary period with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which operates under the Department of Justice. No official reason was given for the terminations. EOIR also did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to the firings, other immigration judges have opted into a voluntary resignation plan known as the “Fork in the Road,” which the administration has used to further reduce the number of personnel handling immigration cases.

One of the judges affected by Friday’s decision told the public broadcaster, “I wanted to ride it until the very end... I figured as long as I am here, I can do some good.” That judge is still employed until later this month. The judge asked not to be named due to employment restrictions.

These actions come after Congress approved a major spending package that included over $3 billion in immigration-related funding for the Justice Department. The money was meant to increase staffing and address a near-4 million case backlog.

Hiring and fully training new immigration judges typically takes over a year.

Matt Biggs, president of the IFPTE union, criticized the administration’s move. “It's outrageous and against the public interest that at a time when the Congress has authorized 800 immigration judges, we are firing large numbers of immigration judges without cause,” he said. “This is hypocritical — you can't enforce immigration laws when you fire the enforcers.”