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.