Trump Administration Doubles Asylum Denials and Fires 90 Judges

The Trump administration has significantly increased the rejection rate of asylum claims, with courts in San Francisco and Concord denying 54% of cases between February and August 2025, compared to 26% during the preceding seven months under Joe Biden. Federal officials cited public safety risks and a deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., by an asylum grantee as the catalysts for a broader crackdown and the vetting of all pending claims.

To address a backlog exceeding 1.1 million cases, the government issued a directive allowing judges to reject incomplete applications without full hearings. This effort coincided with the dismissal of approximately 90 immigration judges nationwide, including 14 in the Bay Area. Former San Francisco judge Jeremiah Johnson stated that no reason was provided to the judges who were fired.

The United States Department of Justice is now recruiting deportation judges to replace the dismissed personnel, asserting that the transition restores integrity to the immigration system. Simultaneously, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended the appeal process for asylum seekers who do not have pending deportation cases.