Unsplash/T.Mossholder US Supreme Court in Washington, DC. UN experts condemn the dismissal of more than 100 immigration judges in the United States Refugees and Migrants
A panel of independent UN experts called on the United States to immediately stop the mass firing of immigration judges and the politicization of immigration courts, calling it a threat to the independence of the judiciary and the rights of people seeking protection.
In the United States, 113 immigration judges, 13 associate chief judges and nine appellate judges have been fired, according to data collected since January 2025. Dismissals, as experts note, occurred without explanation. Experts are particularly alarmed by the fact that among the 78 judges for whom there is open information, the vast majority – 65 people – had a higher rate of satisfaction of asylum applications than the average for the country or a particular court. Judges with experience in migrant protection and humanitarian assistance, as well as those appointed by the previous presidential administration, were disproportionately dismissed. The board that hears immigration appeals is down to one Democratic-appointed judge. “These dismissals undermine the independence of the immigration courts and the entire justice system,” the experts said, recalling that immigration judges decide the fate of people who could face torture, persecution or death if deported. “When judges cannot act independently, they say, foreign nationals are denied a meaningful opportunity to make their case and protect yourself from deportation – with potentially irreversible consequences. Experts recalled that the United States is obliged to comply with international standards prohibiting the return of people to countries where they are at risk of torture or persecution. These obligations are enshrined in the Convention Against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Experts are further concerned that the executive branch, in their opinion, is turning immigration courts from an independent body of adjudication into an instrument of implementation of deportation policies. Amid the mass layoffs, the Justice Department issued more than 50 new guidelines, including warnings of possible disciplinary action for “slow” or “biased” handling of cases. Experts also criticized the practice of holding so-called “mega-hearings,” in which one judge hears hundreds of cases in an afternoon, making an individual approach impossible. “International law clearly requires that people at risk of torture persecution or death, could present their case before an independent and impartial body. No amount of effectiveness justifies the destruction of the principles of due process,” the experts emphasized. Independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. They are not UN employees and do not receive wages for their work. Experts act in their personal capacity and do not represent any government or organization.