The Trump administration dismissed eight immigration judges on Monday, according to an official with the National Association of Immigration Judges, marking the latest shakeup within the immigration court system.

The judges who were terminated worked at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.

Their removal came on the same day that a former immigration judge—fired earlier by the Trump administration—filed a lawsuit accusing the Department of Justice of unlawful discrimination.

Tania Nemer, who previously served as an immigration judge in Ohio, alleged in her complaint that she was dismissed because of her gender, her dual Lebanese-American citizenship, and her past candidacy for local office as a Democrat. The lawsuit argues that her firing violated federal civil rights law.

Nemer claims she was “abruptly fired” during her probationary period despite receiving “the highest possible performance” evaluations.
“The lightning-fast, precipitous timing indicates that the incoming Administration’s decision was made—not as part of a careful evaluation of Ms. Nemer’s qualifications or fitness for office—but instead as part of a rushed attempt by the new Administration to target disfavored civil servants,” the complaint states.

She is among more than 100 immigration judges who have been fired, transferred, or resigned following the Department of Government Efficiency’s “Fork in the Road” program, according to the immigration judges’ union.

The latest dismissals come as the Department of Homeland Security is simultaneously working to hire new “deportation judges.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted last week on X that the positions offer potential full-time remote work with salaries ranging from $159,951 to $207,500.

Immigrant rights advocates have criticized the administration for removing judges with extensive experience in immigration law at a time when the immigration court system faces a backlog of more than 3.7 million cases.