Overview
- Immigration judges’ union confirmed Monday that six judges were terminated Friday, including Massachusetts judges Roopal Patel and Nina Froes.
- Patel and Froes had ended deportation cases for Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk and Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi after finding the government failed to prove removability.
- DHS has appealed both rulings to the Board of Immigration Appeals, while the Justice Department’s court system has not given case-specific reasons for the firings.
- Since January 2025, 113 immigration judges have been fired and more than 140 replacements hired, with Boston and Chelmsford courts now listing fewer sitting judges.
- The two ousted judges, appointed under Biden, granted asylum at higher rates than the court average, intensifying concerns from unions and advocates about pressure on judicial independence and due process.