Trump admin. has fired four S.F. immigration judges since April

The Trump administration dismissed four immigration judges in San Francisco, including Ila Deiss, who had a remarkable asylum approval rate of 93. 7 percent. Judges Roger Dinh, Elisa Brasil, and Jami Vigil were also terminated in April, just before completing their two-year probationary period. This leaves the San Francisco Immigration Court with nine vacancies out of 26 courtrooms, complicating an already strained system. Nationally, at least 17 immigration judges across 10 states have been fired since Monday, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

Deiss's peers, Brasil and Vigil, had even higher approval rates at 98. 7 percent and 97 percent, respectively. In contrast, Dinh's approval rate stood at 34. 6 percent, the only one below the national average of 42. 3 percent.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment on the firings, which come amid reports of ICE arrests of asylum-seekers during court hearings. Milli Atkinson, an immigration specialist, also reported that another judge was fired this week in the Concord Immigration Court.