Immigration judges

The Justice Department is proposing a new rule to allow federal immigration judges to hold attorneys, their clients, and witnesses in contempt for violating court orders.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a new rule allowing asylum officers to bypass interviews for asylum seekers and directly refer cases to immigration judges, potentially accelerating deportation proceedings. The rule affects over 444,000 pending asylum applicants and could impact future cases, including Haitians losing legal protections tied to Temporary Protected Status.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) removed the requirement for asylum seekers to have an interview, allowing asylum officers to directly refer cases to immigration judges. This policy, aimed at reducing asylum application backlogs, could weaken asylum claims and expedite removals, particularly affecting thousands of pending applicants and Haitians facing loss of Temporary Protected Status.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) removed the interview requirement for asylum seekers, allowing asylum officers to directly refer cases to immigration judges without first assessing credibility. This policy, effective immediately, could expedite deportation proceedings for over 444,000 pending asylum applicants and impact future cases, including Haitians facing loss of Temporary Protected Status. While the Department of Homeland Security claims the rule will reduce immigration court backlogs, experts suggest it may weaken asylum claims and slow the system.

The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) removed the mandatory interview requirement for asylum seekers, allowing officers to refer cases directly to immigration judges without assessing credibility. The rule, effective immediately, could impact over 444,000 pending asylum applicants and 132,000 future applications, potentially expediting deportation proceedings. The policy also affects Haitians facing the revocation of their Temporary Protected Status.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) removed the interview requirement for asylum seekers, allowing asylum officers to refer cases directly to immigration judges, potentially expediting deportation proceedings. The rule affects over 444,000 pending asylum applicants and could impact Haitians losing legal protections as their Temporary Protected Status is set to expire.

The number of removals ordered by immigration judges has reached the highest levels in years, nearly tripling since June 2024. This spike marks a significant increase in immigration-related removal actions.

The number of removal orders issued by immigration judges has surged to the highest levels in years, nearly tripling since June 2024.

Deportation orders in New York City increased significantly in June 2026, with 4,447 people ordered removed in absentia due to missed 'mega master' hearings. These large-scale immigration court sessions, part of a Trump administration initiative, reduced notice periods for hearings from 180 days to a median of 42 days, leading to a 55% national rise in in absentia removals.

The Trump administration has fired more immigration judges as it reshapes the court system overseeing deportations. The judges, required to answer to the administration whose policies they adjudicate, describe the actions as 'disheartening'.

The Trump White House allegedly influenced a board designed to prevent civil service politicization, advancing a theory of presidential authority over the executive branch. This included directing employees handling sensitive legal matters like federal prosecutors and immigration judges.

The White House is accused of secretly influencing a board tasked with protecting federal workers from unfair firings. The Trump administration asserts the president's authority to direct federal employees, including prosecutors and immigration judges.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of President Donald Trump's administration in a case involving restrictions on the speech of immigration judges. The lawsuit questioned whether these restrictions violated the rights of federal workers.

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a Fourth Circuit ruling in a lawsuit involving immigration judges' free speech claims, stating the lower court overstepped its authority. The decision was unanimous with no noted dissents.

The Trump administration has onboarded more than 80 new federal immigration judges this week to accelerate the processing of deportation cases. CBS News obtained exclusive reporting on this staffing expansion through immigration correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez.

The Department of Justice has onboarded 82 new immigration judges as part of an immigration enforcement initiative. This expansion follows the Trump administration's removal of numerous immigration judges from their positions over the past year.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced the swearing in of 77 immigration judges and 5 temporary immigration judges, marking the largest class of new adjudicators in EOIR's history. This brings the total immigration judge corps to nearly 700, with 153 permanent judges hired this fiscal year—the most in any single year in the agency's history.