As the Trump administration moves forward with a massive deportation of immigrants in the country, 17 immigration court judges have been recently fired, according to the union representing them.
The International Federation of Professional Engineers, representing immigration court judges and other experts, said in a news release that 15 judges were fired “for no reason” on Friday, and two more were fired on Monday. The union said they work in courts in 10 different states across the country.
“It’s large and at the same time, Congress’s approval of 800 immigration judges means we’re firing a large number of immigration judges for no reason,” union president Matt Biggs said. “This is pointless. The answer is to stop the shooting and start hiring.”
The shooting comes with a court at the heart of the government’s efforts.
The fire comes as the courts are increasingly at the heart of the Trump administration’s hard-hit immigration enforcement efforts to arrest immigrants when immigrants and customs enforcers appear in court for lawsuits.
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Examination Office, part of the Justice Department, which oversees the courts, said in an email that the office would not comment on the termination.
The massive arrest began in May and released fears among asylum seekers and immigrants appearing in court. In a familiar scene, the judge grants the government’s attorney’s request to dismiss the deportation lawsuit against immigrants. Meanwhile, US immigration and customs enforcement officers arrest people in the hallways and wait for them to get on the fast track of deportation as soon as they leave the courtroom.
Immigration Court judges have also dealt with a large backlog of around 3.5 million cases in recent years. Cases can take years to incorporate the path to final decisions, as judges and lawyers are frequently scheduled to schedule final hearings on the merits of cases over a year. Unlike criminal courts, immigrants have no rights to lawyers. If they cannot afford to represent themselves, they often use interpreters to make their claims.
The court receives cash injections
Under a law that exceeds the law that uses $170 billion to use $170 billion, the court is expected to receive an infusion of $3.3 billion. It will increase the number of judges to 800 and support them in hiring more staff.
However, the union said that since the Trump administration took office, more than 103 judges have been fired or voluntarily left after taking what was called an offer of “road fork” at the start of the administration. The union said that, rather than speeding up the immigration court process, the Justice Department’s firing would actually exacerbate the backlog. The union said it would take a year to recruit, hire and train new immigration court judges.
According to union figures, there are currently around 600 judges. The immigration courts are classified as the Department of Justice.
A conflict occurred outside the San Francisco immigration court between US immigrants, customs enforcement agents and protesters.
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