The number of immigration judges in New York City dropped by more than 10% in a day after the Trump administration fired more than half a dozen of them on Monday, several sources confirmed with NY1.
Seven were fired on Monday, and an eighth was terminated a couple of weeks ago, according to a former judge.
What You Need To Know
Seven immigration judges in New York City were fired by the Trump administration on Monday, several sources confirmed with NY1
That brings the total number of judges to 60 across three courthouses, according to an examination of active Webex channels
The day before Donald Trump was inaugurated, there were 82 immigration judges with active Webex channels in New York City
The judges fired this week were not given any cause for the firing, according to a spokesperson for the National Association of Immigration Judges
NY1 examined active channels on Webex — a work communication platform — for immigration judges, which showed eight missing from October to December.
Several former judges have explained to NY1 that the lack of an active Webex channel means one of four outcomes: the judge is on leave, has been fired, retired or took a buyout.
Monday’s slew of firings took the number of judges from 67 to 60, which represents a 10.4% decrease.
None of the judges were given a reason for their termination, such as issues with bias, productivity or professionalism, according to a spokesman for the National Immigration Judges Association.
He said they were all sent generic emails that past fired judges have received.
NY1 asked the Department of Justice why the judges were fired now and whether there was cause. A spokeswoman responded that the agency does not comment on personnel matters.
The decrease in judges in New York City, and around the country, has been subject to headlines for months.
In the city, the number of judges with active Webex channels has decreased from 82 to 60, which represents a nearly 27% drop.
The three immigration courts in the city have a backlog of 327,037 cases, which data shows increased substantially under former President Joe Biden.
Judges can typically hear about 500 cases per year, according to a Congressional Research Service report on immigration judges.
That means the current slate of judges would hear 10% of the total cases backlogged — and that’s without any new cases being added.
The backlog of immigration cases is something the Trump administration has been very aware of.
In August, the Department of Justice published a rule that greatly expanded the candidate pool for 600 temporary immigration judges the administration hoped to hire around the country.
The reason the administration noted the judges were needed: “to assist with the immigration courts’ substantial caseload.”
The administration announced this fall that one permanent and one temporary judge were hired to serve in New York City’s immigration courthouses. A third judge appeared to be transferred to the city from another jurisdiction, according to NY1’s review of Webex channels.
Meanwhile, NY1 has counted 23 Webex channels that have gone dark for judges in the city.
The DOJ spokeswoman declined to answer NY1’s question about why the administration would fire more judges than have been hired in New York City when the backlog is a concern.
“After four years of the Biden Administration forcing Immigration Courts to implement a de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens, this Department of Justice is restoring integrity to our immigration system and encourages talented legal professionals to join in our mission to protect national security and public safety,” said a DOJ spokeswoman instead in an emailed statement.