Trump admin fires 8 immigration judges in New York City

The Trump administration has fired eight immigration judges in New York in what one judge called a "a Monday afternoon massacre." The move comes as the White House has been battling in courts over their deportation programs.

In case after case, judges have fought to keep illegal immigrants in the country while the administration has sought their removal. Immigration courts come under the purview of the Department of Justice.

There are three immigration courts in New York City. Protesters have been gathering at the courts to prevent deportations and arrests by immigration officials. These agitators have also attempted to block ICE raids, where agents go into an area specifically to arrest illegal immigrant criminals.

"The court has been basically eviscerated. It feels like a Monday afternoon massacre," said Olivia Cassin, who was terminated from her judicial post in November.

The New York Times reports that 90 immigration judges have already been fired in 2025 out of 600 immigration judges nationally. Both the Department of Justice and the National Association of Immigration Judges confirmed the firings. Already, 36 of the judges fired this year have been replaced with new ones.

The eight had been presiding over courts at New York City's 26 Federal Plaza, which also holds Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the city. Amiena A. Khan, the assistant chief immigration judge, was terminated along with seven others. Their termination leaves 26 immigration judges at 26 Federal Plaza.

Democrats and leftists have been speaking out against deportations, with six lawmakers going as far as to tell members of the US Armed Forces to disobey illegal orders, which indicated that they believed the troops were receiving unlawful orders. The FBI is investigating those remarks.

Opposing ICE is the latest protest trend for the far left, which has taken to protesting outside ICE operations centers in Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, New York, Texas and other locations. Two National Guard troops were shot, one of them fatally, in Washington, DC, while in Texas a protester targeting ICE agents killed two illegal immigrant detainees instead.