EOIR Fires Eight Immigration Judges in New York

On Dec. 1, 2025, the New York Times reported that the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) removed eight of the roughly 34 immigration judges sitting at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, including an assistant chief immigration judge who supervised others at that court; EOIR did not state a performance or misconduct basis for the removals. The removals were part of a nationwide contraction of the immigration bench during 2025: according to figures compiled by NPR, the corps of permanent immigration judges fell from 726 at the start of February 2025 to approximately 553 a year later even after new hires, and 202 judges working in early 2025 had departed. The reductions coincided with the Department's use of detailed military attorneys as temporary immigration judges and a case backlog. Rep. Grace Meng requested an explanation from the Attorney General for the New York removals.