Lawmakers Warn Judge Firings Will Deepen Immigration Backlogs
Congressional Democrats tell AG Pam Bondi that immigrants and families will bear the brunt of sudden dismissals from the courts.
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland are leading 66 congressional Democrats in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to reinstate dozens of immigration judges abruptly fired earlier this year, warning that the dismissals will cripple an already overburdened court system facing nearly 3.6 million pending cases.
In a letter sent Friday, the lawmakers condemned the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s February decision to terminate 20 immigration judges, remove all nine Biden-appointed members of the Board of Immigration Appeals, and dismiss four senior leaders at the agency.
Lawmakers said the firings — carried out without warning or explanation — left roughly a quarter of the nation’s immigration courts without proper leadership, disrupted ongoing asylum hearings, and raised questions about political motives.
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“The termination of these experienced assistant chief immigration judges is particularly baffling, given the immense pressure the immigration courts are under,” the lawmakers wrote, noting that clearing the backlog would require hiring 700 additional judges by 2032. The letter said the changes would slow decisions on detained and juvenile dockets, as well as cases tied to the Trump administration’s revived “Remain in Mexico” program.
Democrats also flagged the absence of any administration plan to replace the ousted judges — a process that can take up to a year of training — and warned that reducing the Board of Immigration Appeals from 28 to 15 members would have “practical repercussions on the Board’s caseload and quality of decisions.”
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Some judges learned of their dismissals in the middle of active hearings, the lawmakers said, describing the sudden firings as “alarming” and “unjustified.” The union representing immigration judges has also reported that nearly 100 court staff, including 18 judges, have accepted early retirement or resignation offers under the Trump administration.
The letter, signed by more than 60 senators and representatives including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Cory Booker of New Jersey, demands that Bondi explain the firings, detail plans for replacing the judges, and outline how the Justice Department will address the ballooning backlog.
Bondi and the Justice Department have not yet publicly responded.
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