The Trump administration's firing of roughly 125 immigration judges has created fear among those remaining on the bench and is influencing how some decide cases, according to current and former judges interviewed by NOTUS.
One sitting judge, who spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation, said colleagues now understand that "following the law can risk their job if that law is inconsistent with current policy." Brea Burgie, a Colorado immigration judge fired in June, said the threat of termination encourages judges to take the "path of least resistance."
"You don't want to lose your job so you just comply," Burgie told NOTUS.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Justice Department agency overseeing immigration courts, has fired about 125 judges since President Donald Trump returned to office, while roughly 100 others have retired or accepted separation incentives. Together, the departures represent more than a quarter of the immigration judge workforce.
Judges also described policy changes limiting their discretion, including pressure to decide cases faster and dockets containing as many as 150 cases requiring administrative action in a single morning. Migrants who fail to appear can be ordered deported in absentia. Removal orders rose 30% in June, according to data cited by NOTUS.
Former Chicago immigration judge Eva Saltzman said she was conducting a hearing on July 30 when she received an email terminating her "effective immediately." Saltzman said she had previously worried that continuing to perform her job as she always had could lead to her dismissal.
The Justice Department rejected suggestions that its personnel policies were designed to influence outcomes, saying it was "restoring integrity to our immigration system." It has hired 190 judges during fiscal year 2026, with nearly 90% of 118 recent hires coming from ICE, the military or prosecutorial offices, according to NOTUS.
The changes come as military lawyers are also being placed temporarily on immigration courts. WBUR reported Wednesday that at least four JAG Corps attorneys have been seated in Massachusetts, prompting questions from legal advocates about their immigration-law experience and judicial independence.
The administration is simultaneously seeking to expand immigration judges' authority, as a Justice Department proposal published in July would allow them to impose contempt fines on attorneys, migrants and witnesses, while exempting DHS attorneys and other federal employees.
