Africa Newsroom — A former U.S. immigration judge is among dozens fired in a series of terminations that have sparked concern among African immigrants and asylum seekers. The firings, which began under the Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration, have raised questions about the impartiality and efficiency of the U.S. immigration system.
At least 90 immigration judges have been fired this year, with the union representing the judges estimating that over 103 judges have either been fired or left after being offered “Fork in the Road” deals, reports indicate. The terminations have occurred despite a growing backlog of immigration cases, which now stands at a record of 3.4 million, according to abajournal.com.
One judge, Kerry Doyle, believed the firings targeted those hired under the Biden administration, while another, Shuting Chen, said she was not given a reason for her firing. The Department of Justice has not commented on the reasons for the firings, according to cbsnews.com.
The impact of the firings is expected to worsen the backlog and increase wait times for asylum hearings. In San Francisco, asylum-seekers were already waiting an average of 4 1/2 years for a hearing. One judge estimated that the 25,000 cases handled by the fired judges would likely not be heard for at least four years, further straining the system.
The union representing the judges believes the firings will hinder the immigration court process, as it can take up to a year to recruit and train a new judge. This could have significant implications for African immigrants and asylum seekers, who often face long and uncertain waits for their cases to be heard.
The firings come at a time when the U.S. immigration system is under scrutiny, with concerns about its ability to handle the growing number of asylum seekers and immigration cases. The terminations have raised questions about the impartiality of the immigration judges and the fairness of the immigration process for African immigrants and asylum seekers.
Source: abajournal.com
