Trump Admin Dismisses Anot
Sixth Immigration Judge Fired Amid DOJ Pattern
The Justice Department has dismissed a sixth San Francisco immigration judge since former President Donald Trump returned to office,
continuing what experts say is a pattern of removing judges with high asylum approval rates or backgrounds in immigrant advocacy.
Judge Shira Levine, appointed in 2021, was terminated without explanation.
“It did not come as a complete surprise,” said Milli Atkinson of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Five other judges—including Chloe Dillon and Elisa Brasil—were also recently removed.
High Approval Rates, No Clear Reasons
Most of the dismissed judges had asylum approval rates far above the national average.
Levine approved 97% of cases; Dillon, 96.5%. The national rate has dropped below 36%, according to TRAC.
Dillon described learning of her dismissal via a three-sentence email, just after wrapping up a multi-year asylum hearing. “They are specifically targeting one end of the spectrum because they don’t like those results,” she told KQED.
Advocates, Not Prosecutors, Targeted
Former immigration judge Dana Leigh Marks said the firings appear “completely ideologically based.”
She added, “It appears to be very results-oriented, targeted towards individuals who think more independently.”
All six dismissed judges had experience in public interest or immigrant defense. In contrast, those who came up through DHS or ICE have mostly remained in place.
DOJ Reshapes Immigration Bench
In August, the Justice Department eliminated the requirement that immigration judges have prior experience in immigration law.
One week later, 600 military lawyers were authorized to serve in these roles—raising alarms about judicial independence and fairness in asylum hearings.
