What Does America Stand to Gain from a Shockwave in the Immigration System?
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed several immigration judges in the midst of an already massive backlog of cases, a decision that has rocked the U.S. immigration system.
The decision to remove these judges has raised concerns among legal scholars, advocacy groups, and immigration attorneys regarding the administration’s approach as the U.S. immigration crisis worsens.
What impact does this have on the millions of cases that are still pending?
What effect will this have on foreign nationals awaiting court appearances?
Let’s examine this significant change in the immigration court system in the United States and discover its wider ramifications.
The Disintegration of Immigration Judges Fired
According to multiple sources, including NBC News (Ainsley, Gilchrist, Egwuonwu, & Lebowitz, 2025), the DOJ terminated five midlevel assistant chief immigration judges and 13 newly appointed judges on Friday.
This decision, executed by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), raises concerns over the department’s priorities, especially as the Biden administration had previously pushed for hiring more judges to reduce the immigration court backlog.
Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), criticized the move, stating:
“You have a president now who campaigned on immigration and removing people from the country, but at the same time, he’s firing the very judges needed to hear these cases. It makes no sense.”
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According to multiple sources, including NBC News (Ainsley, Gilchrist, Egwuonwu, & Lebowitz, 2025), the DOJ terminated five midlevel assistant chief immigration judges and 13 newly appointed judges on Friday. This decision, executed by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), raises concerns over the department’s priorities, especially as the Biden administration had previously pushed for hiring more judges to reduce the immigration court backlog.
Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), criticized the move, stating:
“You have a president now who campaigned on immigration and removing people from the country, but at the same time, he’s firing the very judges needed to hear these cases. It makes no sense.”
What Effect Does This Have on the Backlog of Immigration Cases?
As of 2024, there were more over 3.6 million pending cases in the U.S. immigration court backlog, which has been growing at an unprecedented rate (Congressional Research Service, 2024).
Deportation proceedings, visa appeals, and asylum petitions may all be further delayed as a result of the recent firings.
Principal Effects of the Removal of Immigration Judges:
Longer Wait Times for Immigration Hearings: As fewer judges hear cases, there will be a considerable increase in the wait times for court dates.
Possible Legal Violations: Immigrants’ rights to due process may be violated as a result of delays.
Increased Pressure on Remaining courts: The system may be pushed to its limit by these dismissals, as immigration courts already deal with a heavy caseload.
More Undocumented Immigrants in Limbo: The longer cases remain unresolved, the more uncertainty immigrants face.
An administrative reorganization or a political move?
The terminations, according to Kerry Doyle, a recently fired immigration judge appointed during the Biden administration, were politically motivated. She posted on LinkedIn that:
“This dismissal took place in spite of the Immigration Court’s roughly 3.5 MILLION pending cases and the DOJ’s concurrent request to Congress for additional funding to hire more staff at EOIR.”
The timing of the firings is suspicious, even though the precise causes are still unknown. Mass deportations have been a topic of contention for the Trump administration, and recent actions indicate that ICE expansion—rather than judicial appointments—is the main priority. Trump’s immigration enforcement commissioner, Tom Homan, has enlisted DEA, ATF, and FBI staff to help ICE make large arrests of immigrants.
What’s Up Next for Immigration Courts?
The dismissals of immigration judges create even more uncertainty as immigration continues to be a contentious topic in American politics. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have yet to provide clear explanations for these terminations, leaving millions of immigrants and their families in limbo.
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Possible Repercussions:
More Delays in the Immigration Court System
Heightened Political Tensions Between Immigration Advocates and Lawmakers
Possible Legal Challenges Against the FiringsMore Delays in the Immigration Court System
Heightened Political Tensions Between Immigration Advocates and Lawmakers
Possible Legal Challenges Against the Firings
Conclusion: Is the Immigration System Broken?
The dismissal of immigration judges merely adds to the already severe burden on the U.S. immigration court system.
What is ahead for immigrants seeking asylum and legal residency in light of the growing number of deportations and the millions of cases still pending?
Will this judgment result in an even more dysfunctional immigration process, or will the U.S. government take anything to solve the rising backlog?
The coming months will reveal whether this move was a calculated political maneuver or an administrative shake-up with unintended consequences.
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How Do You Feel?
Will the DOJ’s decision to dismiss immigration judges benefit or harm the immigration system, in your opinion? Let’s talk about the future of immigration policy in America. Please leave your ideas in the comments section below.
References:
Ainsley, J., Gilchrist, A., Egwuonwu, N., & Lebowitz, M. (2025). Justice Department Fires Immigration Judges Amid Case Backlog. NBC News.
Congressional Research Service. (2024). U.S. Immigration Case Backlog and Judicial Efficiency.