LOS ANGELES: US immigration judges say they are under increasing pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration to speed up immigrant deportations—or risk removal if they delay, reports AFP.
This pressure is highlighted in the case of a judge in Philadelphia, Steven Morley, who was informed that a case he was handling was reassigned to another court so it could be closed and deportation procedures could begin.
The National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) filed a grievance on August 8 with the US Department of Justice for what it considers a violation of courtroom authority.
The judge “should be left alone and protected in his ability to handle the case from the beginning,” said NAIJ president Ashley Tabaddor, who told AFP she felt she had “a target on my head” for speaking out.
In the United States, immigration courts are part of the executive—not the judicial—branch of government. Judges are appointed by the US attorney general, who is the head of the Department of Justice.
Since the judges are appointed, the attorney general can also fire them.
Trump came to office spouting anti-immigrant rhetoric, especially against Mexicans, calling them drug dealers, criminals and “rapists.”