San Francisco immigration court shuts down after purge of judges

1 of 4 | Oliverio Mora Huerta, left, is interviewed with his family before going to Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 2 of 4 | Attorney Dr. Nidaa Pervaiz is interviewed outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 3 of 4 | An interfaith community group holds signs while singing outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 4 of 4 | Attorney Judah Lakin is interviewed outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 1 of 4 | Oliverio Mora Huerta, left, is interviewed with his family before going to Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Oliverio Mora Huerta, left, is interviewed with his family before going to Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 2 of 4 | Attorney Dr. Nidaa Pervaiz is interviewed outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Attorney Dr. Nidaa Pervaiz is interviewed outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 3 of 4 | An interfaith community group holds signs while singing outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) An interfaith community group holds signs while singing outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 4 of 4 | Attorney Judah Lakin is interviewed outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Attorney Judah Lakin is interviewed outside of Immigration Court Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Concord, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — There are no immigrants waiting for rulings anymore at San Francisco’s main immigration court, no lawyers making arguments. The court, which had 21 judges when President Donald Trump was sworn in last year, had only two left when it closed May 1. The rest had been fired, retired or resigned amid a White House purge of federal immigration judges. The closing is one more reflection of the turmoil that has upended the immigration court system as the administration looks for ways to churn through its massive backlog of 3.8 million asylum cases and deport as many people as possible. Asylum denial rates have soared as the administration has fired almost 100 judges seen as too liberal, and approved using hundreds of military lawyers to replace them. Immigrants have been arrested when they arrive at courthouses or government offices for scheduled appearances. But amid the nationwide upheaval, San Francisco is the first major city to be left without a primary immigration court, leaving chaos and dysfunction in a region long known for its friendliness to asylum seekers. The two remaining judges will work from another federal building in the city but will be part of an immigration court across the bay. Elim Chan hired as San Francisco Symphony’s first female music director 1 MIN READ In an era when workers are returning to offices, here’s how Dropbox is making remote jobs work 6 MIN READ The barista is human but an AI agent runs this experimental Swedish cafe 3 MIN READ That reputation, court insiders say, might have led to its downfall. “It was a vibrant legal scene and so I think if you were looking to target a court you would have to look at what San Francisco stands for,” said Jeremiah Johnson, an immigration judge in the city until he was fired in November. He is now executive vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges. Most of the court’s 117,000 immigration cases have been moved to a courthouse in Concord, a city about 30 miles (48 kilometers) away that opened two years ago to help with San Francisco’s backlog of cases. But turmoil has also reached that city. A courthouse that had 11 judges at the start of 2025 is down to five after a series of firings. It had a caseload of 60,000 cases even before

San Francisco immigration court shuts down after purge of judges

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