Trump Administration Shuts San Francisco Immigration Court

The Executive Office for Immigration Review will shut down the San Francisco Immigration Court by the end of 2026. All personnel and approximately 120,935 pending cases will be transferred to the Concord Immigration Court. The agency stated the transition "would be more cost-effective."

This closure follows a 2025 initiative that saw nearly 100 immigration judges fired nationwide, causing some court dates to be delayed until 2030. To mitigate the judicial shortage, the administration is recruiting "deportation judges" and has authorized up to 600 military lawyers from the Judge Advocate General's Corps to serve as temporary judges.

Former judges and critics argue the terminations targeted those with immigration defense experience to facilitate mass deportations. Jeremiah Johnson, a former San Francisco immigration judge terminated in 2025, claimed the move signaled that courts would be closed and that the government is replacing immigration judges with deportation judges, thereby weakening the rule of law.