Trump Administration Fires Two Chicago Immigration Judges

The Trump administration fired immigration judges Eva Saltzman and Elizabeth Crites from the Chicago Immigration Court on July 31, 2026. These dismissals are part of a larger trend of firings, resignations, and buyouts since January 2025 intended to synchronize the judiciary with the president's hardline immigration agenda.

Data indicates the Chicago court has become the national leader in deportation orders, with daily averages increasing from 35 during Joe Biden's final year to over 125 this year. Crites and Saltzman had the lowest percentages of removal orders among their peers; Saltzman issued only 33 removal orders in a month where other judges issued hundreds.

Jeremiah Johnson of the National Association of Immigration Judges characterized the exodus of judges as a "purge" and an attack on judicial independence. Saltzman, who served for a decade, stated she had long anticipated that performing her duties by applying the law to each case could result in her termination.