McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A group of recently appointed immigration judges who were fired en masse have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The 13 judges, who were fired in Feb. 14, are alleging that the terminations were an illegal reduction in force that violated civil service protections and due process under federal law. The lawsuit alleges the firings also could hurt their future employment.
They had been appointed between December and January and completed a selection process and had reported to their court assignments when they were terminated by the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
They were among 20 immigration judges who were fired in February that the Department of Justice said were considered probationary employees.
EOIR has said the reductions were part of an effort to cut federal government costs.
“All thirteen IJs (Immigration Judges) in the December 2024 cohort were highly experienced immigration attorneys appointed under the prior (Biden) Administration after an extensive application process,” according to the amended lawsuit filed Friday against the Department of Justice.
“These immigration judges were appointed to serve the American people and uphold the rule of law — and they were fired by President Trump in violation of long-standing civil service protections,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing the class action lawsuit.
The amended appeal is asking for the group to be reinstated with back pay, and class certification, as well as attorney fees covered.
There are 3.6 million backlogged U.S. immigration cases nationwide, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
Read: Read More