Former federal immigration judges are sounding the alarm after being abruptly terminated under the Trump administration, calling the dismissals a politically motivated attack on judicial independence and due process.
According to CBS News, nearly 100 immigration judges have been fired, transferred, or pressured to resign since the administration resumed power. In July alone, 20 judges were dismissed by email, without prior warning or explanation.
In a televised interview, former judges George Pappas, Jennifer Payton, and Carla Espinosa revealed the inner workings of the overwhelmed immigration court system, alleging direct pressure to rule in ways that facilitate deportation — sometimes at the expense of fairness and safety.
“It was arbitrary. Unfair. An attack on the rule of law,” said Pappas. “We were being pressured to rule in the government’s favor, not the law’s.”
Judges Say Firings Undermine Impartiality
The three judges, who served in high-volume immigration courts in Chicago and Boston, described being let go via short, impersonal emails, with no formal reasoning provided. They say their dismissals were part of a broader pattern of politicization of the immigration courts, which are overseen by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) — a sub-agency of the Department of Justice.
Judge Espinosa said she was directly told to “grant the motions to dismiss,” meaning immigrants’ cases would be terminated — opening them up to immediate apprehension by ICE agents waiting outside the courtroom.
“Once they left the courtroom, more often than not, they’d be handcuffed and led away,” Espinosa said.
CBS News previously reported on ICE agents arresting undocumented immigrants as they exited hearings, a tactic critics say chills access to the courts and deters due process.
Legal Experts Warn of Precedent
While the Trump administration defends the dismissals as part of its “vigorous enforcement” of immigration laws, legal experts say the firings raise serious constitutional concerns.
“The immigration court system is already under strain with nearly 4 million cases pending and only about 600 judges remaining,” said one immigration law professor. “Removing judges who don’t fall in line with the administration’s deportation goals not only damages the credibility of the judiciary but could violate separation of powers principles.”
President Trump has claimed the backlog would take “200 years” to resolve — but critics say his administration has shown little interest in funding the judiciary or ensuring fair hearings.
“The Future of Due Process Is at Stake”
The judges emphasized that the stakes go far beyond immigration.
“Today, it’s immigrants. Tomorrow, who’s next?” said Payton. “If we attack the very judges charged with applying the law, there will be no law left.”
A request for comment from the U.S. Department of Justice was declined, but a spokesperson reiterated that the administration is “committed to enforcing the nation’s immigration laws.”
