Trump fires immigration judges who dismissed student deportation cases

The Trump administration fired immigration judges Roopal Patel and Nina Froes on April 10, 2026, days after each dismissed deportation cases against pro-Palestinian student activists Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi on First Amendment grounds. The firings brought total immigration judge terminations to 113 since January 2025 — roughly one-seventh of the approximately 750-judge corps. Unlike federal judges with lifetime tenure, immigration judges are DOJ employees subject to removal by the attorney general.