New Quotas for Immigration Judges as Trump Administration Seeks Faster Deportations
Laura Meckler of the Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department has notified immigration judges that it will begin evaluating their job performance based on how quickly they close cases, aiming to speed deportation decisions and reduce a lengthy backlog. The new quotas for judges to meet—laid out in a memo sent to immigration judges—follow other directives by the department to expedite handling of cases.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said that the backlog at the immigration courts allows people who should be deported to linger inside the United States. The union representing immigration judges counters that the metrics are a threat to their judicial independence, while lawyers warn they will unduly influence judge’s decisions.
KJ