By mid-2025, America’s immigration court system was facing an unprecedented backlog of more than three million cases. These ranged from asylum petitions to deportation appeals, with some applicants waiting years before even seeing a judge.

Critics across the political spectrum acknowledged that the system was overwhelmed. But while past administrations pursued gradual reforms, President Trump has chosen a more forceful path: cutting judges who, in his view, have obstructed immigration enforcement or bent the rules to favor undocumented immigrants.

In speeches during his campaign and early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly promised to “end the judicial swamp” that, he argued, allowed activist judges to rewrite immigration law from the bench. Now, the dismissals appear to be the fulfillment of that pledge.

Who Was Removed — And Why

Among those let go was Judge Jennifer Peyton, an Obama-era appointee who had served since