By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - The Trump administration's removal of more than 100 immigration judges is undermining the independence of the courts and the U.S. justice system, a panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council said on Thursday.
Immigration judges, who are employees of the Justice Department, hear deportation cases including migrants' petitions for asylum and other protections from removal.
The U.N. panel called for the administration to stop what it described as "the mass arbitrary removal" of immigration judges and the continued politicization of immigration courts.
An official at the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review said the agency continually evaluates all immigration judges on factors, including conduct and impartiality.
"All judges have a legal, ethical, and professional obligation to be impartial and neutral in adjudicating cases. If a judge violates that obligation by demonstrating a systematic bias in favor of or against either party, EOIR is obligated to take action to preserve the integrity of its system," the official said.
The panel of experts said the firings raised concerns that the judges were being targeted on the basis of their perceived political affiliation, professional background or adjudicative record.
"These removals undermine the independence of the immigration courts and the larger justice system, and their consequences are immediate and severe," the experts said in a release, adding that they had communicated their concerns to the U.S.
The panel said it was concerned that the White House was transforming the immigration court system "from a forum for independent, individualized adjudication into an instrument for implementing deportation objectives."
More than 100 immigration judges out of about 700 have been fired or pushed out since President Donald Trump's return to office in January 2025, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
The group said the departures had reduced the number of judges available to handle a surge in cases as the administration ramps up arrests and deportations.
Several former immigration judges have sued the Justice Department for wrongful termination.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington;Editing by David Ljunggren, Michelle Nichols and Sanjeev Miglani)
