Trump Admin Fires Immigration Judges Biden Attempted To Appoint Last Minute
The Trump administration has dismissed 20 "midnight" immigration judges whom the Biden administration had attempted to install in its final days, as reported by The Washington Times.
A Justice Department source revealed that 13 judges appointed in late December and early January were removed on Friday. Additionally, the outlet noted that seven assistant chief immigration judges were also dismissed.
These terminations resemble a similar purge initiated by the Biden administration in 2021, shortly after taking office, when numerous last-minute Trump-appointed immigration judges were removed.
Among those let go, according to a Justice Department source, was Kerry Doyle—a former critic of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before taking on the role of ICE’s principal legal adviser.
While serving at ICE, Doyle advocated for more lenient policies regarding illegal immigration. The Biden administration later sought to transition her from a political appointment to a permanent civil service role, the source claimed.
As of Friday night, Doyle’s name remained on the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) court roster. EOIR, once considered politically neutral, underwent significant changes under Joe Biden’s administration, with efforts made to remove officials seen as closely associated with President Trump.
By 2023, six of the ten senior executive positions at EOIR had been replaced by the Biden administration, according to The Times.
Furthermore, over ten immigration judges appointed during Trump’s tenure were either dismissed at the conclusion of their probationary period or opted to resign to avoid termination, the outlet added.
The Trump Justice Department considers its recent actions a direct response to the precedent set by the Biden administration.
"The Biden administration set a precedent by terminating numerous immigration judges during their term or trial periods for the first time in EOIR history. So, it’s not surprising that EOIR is following that precedent," a senior department official stated.
Immigration judges are not part of the conventional judicial system but are instead employees within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
The recently dismissed judges had yet to receive training or preside over any cases.
These firings occurred just weeks after the Trump administration removed the leadership team appointed by Biden at EOIR.
In January, the Trump administration ousted EOIR’s acting director, the chief immigration judge, the general counsel, and the head of policy, as reported by The Times.
President Trump has consistently prioritized strict immigration enforcement, advocating for "mass deportations," a stance that—according to recent polling—continues to have majority support among Americans.
Data from Customs and Border Protection indicates that border crossings have plummeted by 90 percent compared to the same period last year, with only 359 illegal migrants being processed daily, The New York Post reported.
"That puts the US on track to have the lowest monthly border crossings in at least 25 years. If the trend continues, the number of illegal migrants coming into the US could hit a level not seen since 1968, nearly 60 years ago," the report highlighted.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Post that the current border crossing figures are the lowest the U.S. has experienced "in almost a lifetime."
"If you kind of break down the numbers, divide them by 365, we haven’t had numbers this low since the 1960s. So we’re talking 60-year lows if it’s sustained, obviously," Krikorian stated.
According to the data, only 3,953 illegal migrants had been encountered at the southern border through February 11. If this pattern holds, the total for the month could be around 10,000, a figure unprecedented since CBP began tracking such statistics in 1999.
Coincidentally, the closest the total ever came to 10,000 was in April 2017, during Trump’s first term, when the monthly crossings slightly exceeded 11,000, the report noted.
"That’s a very, very low number," said John Gramlich, associate director at the Pew Research Center.
At this same time last year, encounters at the southern border averaged approximately 4,850 per day.