Trump Moves to Close Immigration Court, Limiting Due Process Options

The Trump administration is tightening control over immigration courts, limiting due process for immigrants. The San Francisco Immigration Court will close by the end of the year, with personnel moved to the Concord Immigration Court, 30 miles away. This decision, communicated via email from Chief Immigration Judge Teresa Riley, adds to the challenges faced by the court’s judges and staff.

Implications of the San Francisco Immigration Court Closure

The San Francisco court, located at 100 Montgomery Street, has been among the busiest immigration courts in the United States. It handled cases for migrants from Portland to California’s Central Valley. With the closure, the remaining judges now face an overwhelming caseload of approximately 120,935 cases, according to September data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Current Staffing and Workload

The consolidation of courts comes amid a nationwide trend where the Trump administration has dismissed nearly 100 immigration judges in 2025. This figure includes at least 19 experienced judges with many years of service. The staffing crisis means that immigration courts nationwide are operating with less than half the judges they had a year ago.

• San Francisco court judges reduced from 21 to 4.
• Transfer of San Francisco cases anticipated to the Concord court or conducted remotely.
• Concord Immigration Court opened in early 2024 to alleviate pressure.

Broader Impact on Immigration Cases

The ongoing closures and staff reductions are leading to significant backlogs, with some cases pushed to 2030. Lawyers fear that these delays increase the vulnerability of immigrants to arrests and deportations. Jordan Weiner, an immigration lawyer in San Francisco, noted the fear among clients as they face an overwhelmed judicial system.

Response from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)

EOIR spokesperson Kathryn Mattingly defended the closure as “more cost-effective.” However, current judges remain overwhelmed with cases. The EOIR plans to hire new immigration judges regularly, although the outcome of this campaign is uncertain. A shift in hiring practices indicates that the agency seeks “deportation judges” rather than traditional immigration judges.

Temporary Judges and Military Involvement

Additionally, the administration has introduced military lawyers as temporary judges. The Pentagon approved the use of 600 legal officers from the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to fill these positions. Initial reports suggest that these temporary judges are issuing removal orders at a higher rate compared to standard judges.

As immigration courts across the country face drastic staffing reductions, the closing of San Francisco’s court exemplifies the ongoing efforts to reshape immigration adjudication. This results in a system where the available legal resources dwindle while the pressures to expedite cases increase, challenging the fundamental due process available to immigrants.