Trump Fires Judges Who Blocked Deportations of Student Activists Rmeysa ztrk and Mohsen Mahdawi

[Uncle Joe]

The Trump administration has fired six more immigration judges in its effort to reshape immigration policy and the immigration courts. Two of the fired judges, Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, had each dismissed high-profile cases brought by the government against international students who had advocated for Palestinian rights, Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi. Around 100 immigration judges have been fired by the Trump administration. Firings in previous administrations were rare.

The Trump administration is eroding "the concept of procedural due process, the idea that you get to have a hearing in the United States" by "firing judges that it perceived as being opposed to the administration's stated goal to deport as many people as possible with the least amount of due process possible," says Carmen Maria Rey Caldas, a former immigration judge in New York who was fired in August.

The firing of so many immigration judges is also "egregious" because noncitizens are "going to be subject to the ruling of judges that are under pressure," says Cyrus Mehta, an attorney who represents Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi.

[JT45242]

1. Aren't judges appointed and then on their own as an independent branch of government?

Are these technically magistrates or some other title that allows them to fireable patronage jobs?

hoping some legal eagle can clarify for me

[rsdsharp]

2. Immigration judges are not Article III judges (or justices).

They are employed by the DOJ, and therefore fall under Article II. As such they don’t have lifetime appointments, nor do they have the salary protections of Article III judges.

[erronis]

3. An article in The Guadian on this.

Thanks, Uncle Joe.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/13/immigration-judges-fired-trump-administration