THAT WE ARRESTED HAS DUE PROCESS. THAT CRACKDOWN IN MINNEAPOLIS COMES AS IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES AND EXPERTS MET IN SACRAMENTO TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF IMMIGRATION. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE FOR OUR NEWS AT SEVEN. I’M EDIE LAMBERT AND I’M ANDREA FLORES. THEY FOCUSED ON CHANGES THEY’VE NOTICED AT THE SACRAMENTO COURTHOUSE, SPECIFICALLY KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ EXPLAINS THEIR GROWING CONCERNS. EVERYBODY KEEPS SAYING, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? AND MY ANSWER IS, I WAS DOING WHAT I WANTED TO DO. PERSONAL STORIES FILLED THE GUILD THEATER THIS WEDNESDAY AS IMMIGRATION EXPERTS AND ADVOCATES SHARED HOW POLICY CHANGES HAVE SHAPED THEIR LIVES. FOR ELIZABETH YOUNG, AN IMMIGRATION JUDGE WITH DECADES OF EXPERIENCE, THAT SHIFT BECAME REAL. ON JANUARY 20TH. I WORKED THROUGH MULTIPLE ADMINISTRATIONS, AS HAD SO MANY OF THE JUDGES THAT I WORKED WITH, AND NEVER BEFORE HAS ANYBODY BEEN FIRED, YOUNG SAYS. THOSE FIRINGS HAVE AFFECTED MORE THAN 100 IMMIGRATION JUDGES REMOVED UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. WHILE THERE MAY HAVE BEEN PEOPLE THAT WERE FIRED BEFORE IT WENT THROUGH A LENGTHY PROCESS, THEY WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS. AND THEN THERE WAS NOTICE. BUT SHE SAYS THE IMPACT GOES BEYOND THE BENCH, AFFECTING PEOPLE WAITING FOR THEIR CASES TO BE HEARD. THERE WAS ALREADY A BACKLOG WITH THE FIRING OF JUDGES. IT GREATLY DECREASES THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT CAN BE HEARD. SHE STARTS CRYING. AMONG THE SPEAKERS WAS NORCAL RESIST VOLUNTEER MELISSA ATOCHA, WHOSE EIGHT MONTHS OF ADVOCACY HAVE TAKEN HER BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE. HOW I SEE THAT AS A VOLUNTEER IS THAT NOW THAT THREE JUDGES HAVE BEEN FIRED, PEOPLE HAVE APPOINTMENTS. DATES FOR THESE JUDGES, SOMETIMES THEY WILL SHOW UP TO COURT AND THEY WILL BE TOLD YOUR CASE, YOUR CASE OR YOUR HEARING HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED, USUALLY FOR TWO, THREE, FOUR MONTHS IN THE FUTURE. FOR ATOCHA, THE WORK IS BOTH A LOOK BACK AT HOW FAR SHE’S COME. I AM THE AMERICAN DREAM. THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE COME TO THIS COUNTRY FOR, RIGHT? AND A REMINDER OF WHY, SHE CONTINUES. I OWN MY HOME, I TRAVEL, I WORRY ABOUT THINGS LIKE DOES MY LIFE HAVE PURPOSE AND NOT? CAN I FEED MYSELF?
Immigration advocates discuss changes at Sacramento courthouse
Updated: 8:32 PM PST Dec 10, 2025
Immigration advocates and experts met in Sacramento to discuss the current state of immigration, focusing on changes at the Sacramento courthouse and sharing personal stories about how policy changes have shaped their lives.Elizabeth Young, a former immigration judge with decades of experience, highlighted a significant shift that became apparent on Jan. 20. “I’ve worked through multiple administrations, as had so many of the judges that I’ve worked with, and never before has anybody been fired,” Young said. She noted that more than 100 immigration judges have been removed under the Trump administration.While acknowledging that firings have occurred before, Young explained that, previously, there was a lengthy process that allowed individuals to address concerns and receive notice. She emphasized that the impact extends beyond the bench, affecting people waiting for their cases to be heard. “There was already a backlog. With the firing of the judges, it greatly decreases the number of cases that can be heard,” she said.Melissa Atocha, a volunteer with NorCal Resist, shared her experiences from eight months of advocacy both inside and outside the courthouse. “What I see as a volunteer is that now that three judges have been fired, people have appointments, dates for these judges and they will show up to their date in court and then sometimes they will show up to court and they will be told ‘your case or your hearing has been rescheduled’ usually two, three or four months in the future,” Atocha said.For Atocha, her work is a reflection of her journey and a reminder of her purpose. “I am the American Dream. This is what people come to this country for, right?” she said. “I own my home, I travel, I worry about things like, ‘does my life have purpose,’ and not, ‘can I feed myself?'”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Immigration advocates and experts met in Sacramento to discuss the current state of immigration, focusing on changes at the Sacramento courthouse and sharing personal stories about how policy changes have shaped their lives.
Elizabeth Young, a former immigration judge with decades of experience, highlighted a significant shift that became apparent on Jan. 20.
“I’ve worked through multiple administrations, as had so many of the judges that I’ve worked with, and never before has anybody been fired,” Young said.
She noted that more than 100 immigration judges have been removed under the Trump administration.
While acknowledging that firings have occurred before, Young explained that, previously, there was a lengthy process that allowed individuals to address concerns and receive notice. She emphasized that the impact extends beyond the bench, affecting people waiting for their cases to be heard.
“There was already a backlog. With the firing of the judges, it greatly decreases the number of cases that can be heard,” she said.
Melissa Atocha, a volunteer with NorCal Resist, shared her experiences from eight months of advocacy both inside and outside the courthouse.
“What I see as a volunteer is that now that three judges have been fired, people have appointments, dates for these judges and they will show up to their date in court and then sometimes they will show up to court and they will be told ‘your case or your hearing has been rescheduled’ usually two, three or four months in the future,” Atocha said.
For Atocha, her work is a reflection of her journey and a reminder of her purpose.
“I am the American Dream. This is what people come to this country for, right?” she said. “I own my home, I travel, I worry about things like, ‘does my life have purpose,’ and not, ‘can I feed myself?'”
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel