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Trump Administration Advances Mass Deportation Overhaul With Judge Firings and Bond Ban

Civil rights groups have filed class actions to halt ICE courthouse arrests in a bid to preserve migrants’ due process rights.

Federal agents detain a person after attending a court hearing at immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on July 1 in New York City, New York.
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A person is detained by federal agents outside an immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits federal building on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Overview

  • Seventeen immigration judges were dismissed across ten states this week, shrinking the bench to roughly 600 and deepening staffing concerns in courts facing record backlogs.
  • A July 8 memo from Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons rescinded bond hearings for most undocumented immigrants, mandating detention through the entirety of removal proceedings.
  • ICE officers are now arresting migrants at scheduled court hearings and immediately placing them into expedited removal after judges dismiss their cases.
  • Legal advocates filed multiple class-action lawsuits in federal court this week seeking to block courthouse arrests and restore procedural safeguards.
  • Despite a $3.3 billion infusion to expand to 800 judges, immigration courts still grapple with about 3.5 million pending cases amid the administration’s rapid enforcement push.