New York Asylum Rates Fall After Trump-Fired Judges

(NEW YORK) Asylum grant rates in New York City’s immigration courts have fallen sharply since 2016, and advocates say the drop has sped up after President Trump’s administration began a sweeping firing of judges it viewed as too likely to approve protection claims.

At the federal courthouse at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, seven immigration judges were pushed out in a single day this week, people familiar with the staffing changes said, leaving 25 judges on the bench, down from 37 in January 2025. DocumentedNY, which reviewed records for individual judges, found the court’s average asylum approval rate slid from 83.5% to 55.6%. The shift is showing up in the lives of migrants who once believed New York was a place inside the United States 🇺🇸.

Political intervention and the bench

Immigration court jobs are supposed to be insulated from politics, but the Trump team has treated the bench as a frontline in its push to raise deportations.

Since taking office on January 20, 2025, the administration has fired or forced out immigration judges across the country, often focusing on those with higher approval records, according to advocates and court observers. One of the New York City judges targeted this week was Amiena Khan, a former assistant chief immigration judge, whose name appeared on the American Accountability Foundation’s “bureaucrat watch list.”

Supporters of the removals say new “deportation judges” will speed cases and deter false claims; critics call it punishment for following the law. At 26 Federal Plaza, attorneys said the atmosphere changed overnight, with calendars rushed and hearings compressed.

Scope of removals and local impact

Nationally, the number of judges removed has reached 90 in recent weeks, including 12 in the Bay Area, and large cuts in Chicago and San Francisco, according to tracking by court advocates and local reporting.

• Chicago’s immigration bench is down by about 50%, with hearing dates squeezed into tighter blocks.
• In New York, the sudden loss of seven judges leaves remaining jurists handling larger dockets while being pressed to finish cases faster.
• Several attorneys said they were told informally that six-month decision deadlines were being treated as a hard target.

The firings have also chilled judges who remain. As one lawyer put it: “your numbers can end your career,” even when the facts are strong in this New York courthouse.

National data and trends

The shift is visible in national data compiled by TRAC, which reports:

TRAC found grant rates fell to 19.2% in August 2025, down from 38.2% a year earlier. The decline began earlier — dropping from 51% in February 2024 — but observers say the pace quickened as judges were removed and dockets reshuffled.

In New York, lawyers said fewer judges did not mean fewer cases; it meant less time per case, more pressure to waive testimony, and more last-minute rulings from the bench. Some migrants arrived with files and months of trauma, then got a ten-minute hearing.

Courtroom and enforcement pressures

Outside the courtroom, enforcement has added another layer of fear.

DocumentedNY reported that people facing hearings at 26 Federal Plaza now weigh the risk of ICE arrests in or near the building, even when they have pending claims. Several legal aid groups said some clients have stopped coming after friends were detained at check-in. When a person misses court, judges can order removal in absentia, meaning the case is decided without them.

Lawyers also say access to counsel has tightened as nonprofit groups stretch scarce staff. The faster pace leaves little time to gather evidence from abroad or line up expert witnesses.

“It feels like the court is set up for failure,” said one Bronx-based attorney representing families from Central America in New York.

Policy changes compounding the effect

Policy changes beyond judge removals are also squeezing asylum seekers:

• The administration has moved to impose a $100 asylum application fee, a new cost that advocates say will hit people who arrive with nothing.
• Attorney General orders in 2025 reinstated Matter of Negusie, a precedent that removes a duress exception to the “persecutor bar,” which can block asylum if the government claims the applicant took part in persecution.
• Judges have received instructions, critics say, that push them to deny some claims without full hearings.

For applicants trying to learn the rules, the government’s main public guide remains the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum page at USCIS. But lawyers said fast hearings can make even guidance hard to use.

Legal challenges and responses

Former immigration judges who were removed have started speaking out, and some are suing.

• Jennifer Peyton, fired in Chicago in July 2025, called the campaign an “attack on the rule of law,” arguing that judges cannot fairly weigh fear, credibility, and country conditions when they are punished for granting asylum.
• Kevin Johnson, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, described the firings as “unprecedented in U.S. history,” warning that mass removals can shape outcomes as much as any statute.
• Tania Nemer, fired in Ohio in February 2025, is among those who have filed lawsuits alleging discrimination.

The administration has not publicly released detailed criteria for who was removed and why in courts like New York.

City shelter spending and broader asylum system

Even as courts tighten, New York City’s broader asylum system has begun to cool from the emergency levels of early 2024, when shelters were packed and city leaders pleaded for federal help.

• Fiscal year 2025 spending tied to asylum seekers: $3.02 billion
• Fiscal year 2024 spending: $3.70 billion
• Projected fiscal year 2026 spending: $1.22 billion

Fewer new arrivals and more departures have lowered the daily shelter census, but advocates say that does not mean the legal cases have eased. Many people in shelters still wait for hearings, and a loss in court can push a family back into instability or force them to leave the country under pressure again.

Backlogs, reassignment, and system strain

Backlogs remain huge. Court watchers say there are millions of pending cases nationwide, and New York’s courts are among the busiest.

When judges are fired, their cases do not disappear; they are reassigned, often to newer judges or to those already carrying crowded calendars. Practitioners said replacement judges arrive with little time to learn local patterns while still being expected to meet output goals.

Analysis by VisaVerge.com argues the combination of higher caseloads, shorter timelines, and policy shifts like the $100 fee creates a system where denial becomes the default, even for people who fled political violence or gang threats. Government supporters argue that faster decisions restore order and deter abuse, but even they acknowledge the courts now face staffing whiplash this year.

Human impact — vignettes from 26 Federal Plaza

At 26 Federal Plaza one morning, a line of migrants wrapped around the lobby as interpreters moved between languages and lawyers whispered advice.

A Venezuelan father who asked not to be named said he had lived in the city for a year, worked odd jobs, and was trying to keep his children in school. He said he came to court expecting a chance to tell his story, but the hearing ended after brief questions and a warning that a written decision would follow.

“I don’t know if they already decided,” he said as he clutched his folder.

Advocates say the firing of judges has turned New York from a place known for high asylum grant rates into a court where speed, not safety, sets the tone.