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

The Trump administration dismissed four immigration judges from the San Francisco Immigration Court, including Ila Deiss, whose asylum approval rate stood at 93. 7 percent since 2019. Judges Roger Dinh, Elisa Brasil, and Jami Vigil were also fired in April, leaving a total of nine vacancies among the 26 courtrooms in the city. Nationwide, at least 17 immigration judges across ten states have lost their positions since the beginning of the week, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. The firings come amid reports of ICE arresting asylum-seekers attending their hearings, raising concerns about the judicial process for immigrants.

Deiss and Brasil both exceeded the national average asylum approval rate of 42. 3 percent, while Dinh's rate fell significantly below it at 34. 6 percent. Milli Atkinson from the Bar Association of San Francisco confirmed that another judge, Kyra Lilien, was also fired recently at the Concord Immigration Court. The Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment on the firings.

This wave of dismissals highlights ongoing tensions around immigration policy and judicial independence.