Trump Administration Fires Boston Immigration Judges Who Blocked Student Deportations

More than 100 immigration judges across the country have been fired since the start of the Trump administration, with the Boston and Chelmsford courts hit particularly hard by the purge.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 11:06pm

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A dimly lit, cinematic interior of an empty immigration courtroom, with warm sunlight streaming in through the windows and deep shadows covering much of the space, conveying a sense of melancholy and the erosion of judicial independence.The mass dismissal of immigration judges who have ruled against the administration's deportation agenda casts a somber shadow over the future of due process in the nation's immigration courts.Boston Today

The Trump administration has fired several immigration judges in Massachusetts, including the judges who previously blocked the deportations of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk and Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi. The dismissals have occurred 'without due process, cause or explanation', according to the union representing the judges. The administration appears to be targeting judges who do not align with its mass deportation agenda, raising concerns about the erosion of judicial independence and due process.

Why it matters

The firing of these immigration judges is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape the immigration courts and enforce its hardline policies on immigration. The dismissals have gutted the immigration courts in Boston and Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and created a 'climate of fear' where judges worry about being fired if they do not rule in line with the administration's wishes. This could undermine the impartiality and independence of the immigration court system.

The details

More than 100 immigration judges across the country have been fired since the start of the Trump administration, including several in Massachusetts. The judges who were dismissed include the ones who previously blocked the deportations of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk and Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi. The administration has begun replacing the fired judges with new ones who are more aligned with its mass deportation agenda. Immigration judges are employees of the Department of Justice and can be summarily removed by the executive branch.

  • In January 2025, the Trump administration began firing immigration judges across the country.
  • In recent weeks, several immigration judges in Massachusetts, including in Boston and Chelmsford, have been fired.

The players

Rümeysa Öztürk

A Tufts University student whose deportation proceedings were previously terminated by an immigration judge in Boston.

Mohsen Mahdawi

A Columbia University student and Palestinian activist whose deportation proceedings were previously terminated by an immigration judge in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Matt Biggs

The president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the union that represents federal workers including immigration judges.

Nina Froes

An immigration judge in Chelmsford, Massachusetts who was fired by the Trump administration.

Anjali Patel

An immigration judge in Boston who was fired by the Trump administration after terminating the deportation proceedings against Rümeysa Öztürk.

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What they’re saying

“'The courts in Boston and Chelmsford have been gutted. This is wrong and unjust.'”

— Matt Biggs, President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers

“'It's creating this climate of fear where judges are worried that if they misstep and do something that's out of line with what the administration wants, they're more subject to firing. That can erode judicial independence, it can erode due process, and it can make people more likely to be ordered removed from this country.'”

— Anjali Patel, Former Immigration Judge in Boston

“'It was very important to me to treat her case with the same level of importance that I treat every other case. It is just about deciding the case in front of you fairly.'”

— Anjali Patel, Former Immigration Judge in Boston

What’s next

The Department of Homeland Security is appealing the immigration judges' decisions to terminate the deportation proceedings against Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi to the Board of Immigration Appeals, an administrative court.

The takeaway

The Trump administration's firing of immigration judges who have ruled against its deportation agenda raises serious concerns about the independence and fairness of the immigration court system. This purge of judges could undermine due process and lead to more people being ordered removed from the country, even if they have valid claims to remain.