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

The Trump administration terminated four immigration judges in San Francisco, including Ila Deiss, who was fired on Thursday. Since April, three other judges—Roger Dinh, Elisa Brasil, and Jami Vigil—were dismissed, resulting in a total of nine vacancies across 26 courtrooms. Deiss maintained an impressive asylum approval rate of 93. 7%, well above the national average of 42. 3%.

Brasil and Vigil also reported high approval rates of 98. 7% and 97%, respectively, while Dinh's rate was significantly lower at 34. 6%. The firings raise concerns about the future handling of asylum cases in the region, especially as ICE continues to arrest asylum-seekers during court hearings. Immigration specialist Milli Atkinson noted the recent firing of another judge, Kyra Lilien, in the Concord Immigration Court.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment on the firings. This trend of dismissals, particularly of judges with high approval rates, highlights ongoing tensions in the immigration court system.