Trump Fires 8 NYC Immigration Judges

The Trump (R) Administration Fired Eight Immigration Judges based in New York City on Monday, an Official at the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) said. All Eight Judges worked out of Immigration Court Offices at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, which is where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is Headquartered in the Citys.

One of the Judges who was Fired was Amiena Khan, an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge at 26 Federal Plaza, the Official said. Khan Oversaw other Immigration Judges there. According to the Official, 98 Judges have been Fired Nationally since January, including 12 Assistant Chief Immigration Judges. The Official said that an almost Equal Number have taken Early Out Options, Retired or Resigned since the Start of the Trump Administration.

A Spokeswoman at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, at the Justice Department, which has Control over Immigration Judges and Courts, Declined to Comment Tuesday on Personnel Matters. There were about 700 Immigration Judges in the Country to Start the year, and we are now down below 600, the NAIJ Judges Official said.

A Tax Bill Passed in Congress and Signed by Trump in July, called for 800 Permanent Immigration Judges and judge Teams to Support them. Since January, according to the Official, the Justice Department (DOJ) has Hired and placed 11 New Permanent Judges and 25 Temporary Judges with Military backgrounds on Six-Month Terms.

In an emailed Statement, a Justice Department Spokesperson said: "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."

In July, Three Immigration Judges Spoke-Out about their Firings by the DOJ saying: The Firings were Arbitrary, Unfair, and "an attack on the rule of law." The DOJ had No Comment at the time, on the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Union (IFPTE)'s Allegations that several Immigration Judges had been Fired without Cause.

The Immigration Courts are Struggling with a Backlog of more than 3.4 million Cases, and in September, a Defense Official Confirmed that the Pentagon is considering Authorizing Up-to-600 Military Attorneys to Serve as Ttemporary Immigration Judges.

The Trump Administration Loosened the Job Requirements for Temporary Immigration Judges last month, allowing a Wider Group of Government Lawyers to handle Cases in Immigration Court. Its New Rule, Published in the Federal Register in Late August, States that the DOJ "no longer believes the restriction of [temporary immigration judges] to current Department employees with a threshold level of immigration law experience serves [the Executive Office for Immigration Review's] interests."

Previously, Only Justice Department Lawyers with a Decade of Immigration Law Experience or Former Immigration Judges could fill those Roles.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker