San Francisco immigration court shuts down after purge of judges
Recorded: May 24, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
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The future of a beloved dog statue on a New York warehouse is up in the air A humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker in Chilean Patagonia — and it's all captured on camera Viral phenomenon in Argentina has young people identifying themselves as animals Fatou, the world's oldest gorilla living in captivity, celebrates her 69th birthday at Berlin Zoo Double-swiping the rewards card led to free gas for months — and a felony theft charge Be Well Trending Better health At home Working well For the climate Eating well SECTIONS Trending TOP STORIES Being a night owl may not be great for your heart but you can do something about it How state laws can stymie research into your ancestors' psychiatric records What to know about the Japanese-style scalp massages catching on in the US Photography Photo Essays SECTIONS Photo Essays TOP STORIES A photo captures tear gas drifting across a mountain road during Bolivia protests How a low angle and fast lens shaped a photo of Jannik Sinner A photo captures President Trump and first lady awaiting British royals from rare White House angle Newsletters The World in Pictures See All Newsletters AP Investigations Climate Indigenous peoples and climate Climate Questions Climate Migration India Focus SECTIONS Indigenous peoples and climate TOP STORIES Plastic bags don't go in the recycling bin. What should you do instead? The shrinking snowfall on Greece's mountains is provoking anxiety and altering the economy The worst climate future is less likely, but the best one is slipping away, scientists say Health TOP STORIES Being a night owl may not be great for your heart but you can do something about it FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto US market How Congo is battling an Ebola outbreak complicated by aid cuts, armed rebels and anger How state laws can stymie research into your ancestors' psychiatric records Good dog! More children’s hospitals turn to furry caregivers to help kids heal Healing with a wag and a nuzzle, meet the dogs brightening hospital days, in photos Tech Artificial Intelligence Social Media SECTIONS Artificial Intelligence TOP STORIES One Tech Tip: Don't use rice for your device. Here's how to dry out your smartphone Google announces slew of AI advances, including a personal AI assistant coming soon The barista is human but an AI agent runs this experimental Swedish cafe Lifestyle Food & Recipes Gardening Fashion Homes Travel Pets SECTIONS Food & Recipes TOP STORIES The top 9 grilling mistakes and how to fix them What to know about the Japanese-style scalp massages catching on in the US Why some people are seeing mental health benefits in everyday tasks Religion TOP STORIES A look at the Hajj pilgrimage and Eid al-Adha and their significance to Muslims around the world Fueled by faith, some US Muslims embark on Hajj against a backdrop of regional tensions Did the founders create a Christian nation? No, but religion did shape their thinking Newsletters World of Faith See All Newsletters Español Política de EEUU Deportes Mundial de Fútbol FIFA SECTIONS Política de EEUU TOP STORIES Redadas migratorias de Trump recuerdan a congresista detenciones de japoneses en 2da Guerra Mundial Sospechoso muere en tiroteo en puesto de seguridad de la Casa Blanca, dice Servicio Secreto de EEUU Surgen detalles de un posible acuerdo de EEUU con Irán; Trump dice que no hay que apresurarse Most watched videos Standards Press Releases My Account AP News Code of Conduct The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. 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All Rights Reserved. U.S. News San Francisco immigration court shuts down after purge of judges, leaving asylum cases in chaos
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Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Copy Print Email X Bluesky SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — There are no immigrants waiting for rulings anymore at San Francisco’s main immigration court, no lawyers making arguments.The court, which had 21 judges when President Donald Trump was sworn in last year, had only two left when it closed May 1. The rest had been fired, retired or resigned amid a White House purge of federal immigration judges.The closing is one more reflection of the turmoil that has upended the immigration court system as the administration looks for ways to churn through its massive backlog of 3.8 million asylum cases and deport as many people as possible. Asylum denial rates have soared as the administration has fired almost 100 judges seen as too liberal, and approved using hundreds of military lawyers to replace them. Immigrants have been arrested when they arrive at courthouses or government offices for scheduled appearances. But amid the nationwide upheaval, San Francisco is the first major city to be left without a primary immigration court, leaving chaos and dysfunction in a region long known for its friendliness to asylum seekers. The two remaining judges will work from another federal building in the city but will be part of an immigration court across the bay. Elim Chan hired as San Francisco Symphony’s first female music director 1 MIN READ In an era when workers are returning to offices, here’s how Dropbox is making remote jobs work 6 MIN READ The barista is human but an AI agent runs this experimental Swedish cafe 3 MIN READ That reputation, court insiders say, might have led to its downfall.“It was a vibrant legal scene and so I think if you were looking to target a court you would have to look at what San Francisco stands for,” said Jeremiah Johnson, an immigration judge in the city until he was fired in November. He is now executive vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges. Read More Most of the court’s 117,000 immigration cases have been moved to a courthouse in Concord, a city about 30 miles (48 kilometers) away that opened two years ago to help with San Francisco’s backlog of cases. But turmoil has also reached that city. A courthouse that had 11 judges at the start of 2025 is down to five after a series of firings. It had a caseload of 60,000 cases even before the San Francisco cases were shifted over. San Francisco’s immigration court, which had the third-highest number of asylum cases in the nation, was long considered one of the most favorable to people seeking asylum. From 2019 to 2024, almost 75% of petitioners received some form of relief, compared to 43% nationwide, according to data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonprofit data research center based at Syracuse University.That’s partly because San Francisco, with its vast network of pro-immigrant organizations and pro bono or low-cost legal services, had one of the country’s highest rates of legal representation for immigrants.The Executive Office of Immigration Review, the Department of Justice branch that oversees immigration courts, announced in March that it would close the San Francisco courthouse in 2027 as a cost-saving measure and move its cases to Concord. But the end came early after nearly all the San Francisco judges left or were fired. The Executive Office provided no detailed explanation for the changes, saying in a statement only that it had decided not to renew its lease for the court, and doesn’t comment on personnel matters. Tight security in Concord courtsSecurity is tight at the Concord courthouse, perhaps because of the new influx of cases. Armed security guards ask every person if they are carrying weapons or explosives, and they watch as each person turns off their cell phone. Even coffee is not allowed in. Only water is acceptable, and then only if it’s in a transparent bottle.Judah Lakin, an immigration attorney based in Oakland who also teaches at UC Berkeley School of Law, said the closure of the San Francisco court has made cases more time consuming since it’s harder for his clients, who often travel from hours away, to reach Concord on public transportation.One recent 10-minute hearing in Concord took him more than two hours of travel, he said.But beyond logistics, Lakin said the chaos in immigration courts under the Trump administration has created a fraught court atmosphere. Mass firings have led to last-minute hearing cancellations, cases have been reset with little notice, and clients are often left in prolonged legal limbo, leaving them vulnerable to deportation. One of his clients, he said, was provisionally granted asylum by a judge, who was then fired before signing the decision. The case was transferred to a second judge, who was also fired. Now on their third judge, his client is still waiting.“The ground is constantly shifting underneath your feet, whether it’s judges being fired and hearings getting canceled, whether it’s your clients getting arrested, whether it’s getting denials on things that used to be standard and routine,” Lakin said.“I think that’s on purpose. That’s by design. It’s part of the strategy,” he added. San Francisco’s immigration court is now dismantled San Francisco’s immigration court was one of the first in the nation to hire judges with non-prosecutorial backgrounds, with many having previous experience working with immigrants at nonprofits or defending them in court.To see the court close is “heartbreaking,” said Dana Leigh Marks, a former San Francisco immigration judge who retired in 2021 after 35 years on the bench and who was among the first judges in the nation to be hired from private practice. She sees the Trump administration’s decision to close the largest immigration court in Northern California as part of an effort to undermine due process and eventually dismantle the path to asylum.“It’s all a part of big ways and little ways that the Trump administration is trying to get non-citizens out of the country,” she said.Johnson, the fired San Francisco judge, was appointed during the first Trump administration. He believes he was targeted because he granted asylum in 89% of the cases he heard. “You don’t fire judges if you disagree with the way they’re handling a case, that’s not how courts work. If you disagree, you appeal that decision,” he said.Johnson, who is the executive vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, defended his judicial record, pointing out that over eight years, only about 10 of his cases were appealed by the Department of Homeland Security, and very few were sent back for further hearings by the Board of Immigration Appeals.Unlike federal courts, where there are strict rules of procedure and judges have lifetime tenure, the Justice Department runs immigration courts, and the attorney general can fire the judges with fewer constraints.There were 754 immigration judges across the country at the start of Trump’s second term. Now, there are about 600, including some temporary judges, according to data collected by the judges’ union. Widespread courthouse arrests of immigrants have caused hundreds of people not to even show up for hearings, leading to deportation orders in absentia.Nidaa Pervaiz came to the Concord court on a recent day to represent a client from Nepal. She prefers the new courthouse in some ways, since it’s closer to her home.But, she said, she and her clients are already feeling the impact of the changes. Fewer judges leads to fewer hearings. That means more delays for her clients, whose paperwork can expire even before they can appear before a judge. “Their whole lives are at stake, and they are coming to make a plea for their future” she said. OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Rodríguez is an Associated Press reporter and U.S. Desk editor based in San Francisco. She was previously a Mexico and Central America Correspondent for the AP based in Mexico City. twitter mailto Trump says not to rush as details emerge of a potential Iran deal 4 MIN READ 1175 Suspect dead after opening fire near White House security checkpoint, Secret Service says 4 MIN READ 543 Southern California chemical tank at risk of exploding as 40,000 residents are ordered to evacuate 5 MIN READ 70 Russia uses hypersonic Oreshnik missile in mass attack on Kyiv 4 MIN READ 136 Southern California chemical tank has a crack that could possibly lower risk of explosion 5 MIN READ 134 The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. 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The San Francisco immigration court experienced significant upheaval following a purge of its judges, which led to the court being effectively dismantled and the cessation of rulings for asylum seekers. This instability is framed as a reflection of a larger administrative strategy aimed at processing the substantial backlog of asylum cases and increasing deportations. Amid this turmoil, the court, which previously handled a large volume of asylum petitions, became the first major city to lack a primary immigration court, creating dysfunction in a region historically supportive of asylum seekers. The court’s closure and relocation of cases to Concord, California, mirrored judicial instability in that city, where a courthouse also saw a reduction in judges. This systemic disruption has directly impacted applicants, with asylum denial rates rising as the administration utilized military lawyers to replace judges perceived as liberal. The shift in judicial personnel has introduced profound legal uncertainty, as evidenced by attorneys noting that mass firings led to canceled hearings and delays, leaving clients exposed to deportation and placing them in protracted legal limbo. Historically, the San Francisco immigration court was viewed as relatively favorable to those seeking asylum, benefiting from a robust network of pro-immigrant organizations and accessible legal services. Data indicated that between 2019 and 2024, nearly 75% of petitioners received some form of relief, compared to only 43% nationwide. This favorable trend was partly attributable to the city's legal infrastructure supporting immigrants. The instability has also created severe logistical and atmospheric challenges. Security measures in the relocated courts, such as those in Concord, have become extremely stringent, involving extensive screening procedures for individuals seeking to appear, including restrictions on personal items like phones and food. Legal professionals interviewed by the Associated Press highlighted that this environment exacerbates delays, as the physical relocation complicates access for clients traveling long distances. Furthermore, the chaos has fostered an atmosphere where clients face constant shifts in legal status, whether through denied claims or canceled proceedings. Former judges, such as Jeremiah Johnson, have suggested that these judicial changes were intentional, aiming to undermine due process and the pathways to asylum, pointing to a strategy to effect deportations. The former judge, who was seen as having granted asylum in a high percentage of cases, defended his record, arguing that disagreements with case outcomes are addressed through appeals, rather than judicial removal. The reduction in immigration judges nationwide, from 754 at the start of the second Trump term to about 600 currently, further illustrates the scale of this systemic alteration within the immigration court system. |