Justice Department fires several immigration judges due to mounting case backlog

The Department of Justice fired multiple immigration judges on Friday, adding to existing strains on the immigration system. The exact number of judges impacted is unclear, but at least five midlevel assistant chiefs and 13 new judge candidates were let go. The firing of immigration judges risks increasing the backlog of cases in the immigration court system, which was already at record levels. The Biden administration has been trying to hire more judges to speed up processing times, but the recent firings could worsen the situation. The Trump administration has focused on hiring staff to aid in mass deportations rather than hiring more judges, resulting in a backlog of almost four million cases. The Department of Homeland Security has also asked the Internal Revenue Service to target businesses hiring immigrants illegally and investigate human trafficking. The firings are part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to reshape the federal workforce, with multiple terminations and plans to hire contractors to expand immigrant arrests and deportations. Additionally, the Department of Justice has fired career lawyers involved in cases related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Overall, the firings and reshaping of the federal workforce have led to widespread upheaval in various government agencies.