San Francisco Immigration Courts Face Collapse with Only Two Judges Left

Of the 19 judges who have departed San Francisco's two immigration courthouses, 12 were fired by the Trump administration. The remaining judges either retired, requested transfers, or were appointed to other courts. This mass departure is the most significant loss of judges for any immigration court in the country. Former judges cite a loss of judicial independence and discomfort with new policies as reasons for their resignations. At the start of 2025, San Francisco judges were instructed to hear four cases daily, a twofold increase from their usual workload, and were encouraged to grant asylum more sparingly. Some who were fired believe it was for not aligning with the administration's agenda. The city's immigration court now faces a staggering backlog of approximately 120,000 cases. This is the largest backlog of any immigration court in California, with immigrants in San Francisco waiting an average of 914 days, or two and a half years, for a decision on their case. Before the recent departures, in the 1980s, the average wait time was about 12 to 14 months. Nationwide, the immigration court system is grappling with a backlog of nearly 4 million cases. The number of permanent immigration judges has shrunk by about a quarter in the last year due to firings and resignations. This has left many courts with minimal staff to handle thousands of cases, and two courts have no permanent judges at all. The reduced number of judges creates a precarious situation for asylum-seekers. Delays can lead to immigrants paying thousands of dollars in legal fees for court preparations only to have their hearings canceled and rescheduled. Furthermore, with the court being understaffed, there's a heightened risk of individuals not receiving timely notifications of changes to their cases, which could result in them being ordered removed from the U.S. for unintentionally missing a hearing.