Trump plan to close San Francisco immigration court

NPR - The Trump administration plans to close the San Francisco Immigration Court by the end of the year. The announcement comes as immigration judges have spent the last year facing pressure to expedite their caseloads and streamline deportations. Teresa Riley, the chief immigration judge, sent an email about the closure to court employees and judges last week. The email also explained that all personnel will now transfer to the Concord Immigration Court, approximately 30 miles away. San Francisco's immigration court has been among those hit by the Trump administration's push to fire judges.

➡️ The Trump administration fired nearly 100 judges in 2025, according to an NPR count cross-referenced with the judges' union and several individual courts.
➡️ The U.S. is starting this year with fewer than half the judges from a year ago. At least two courts — in Aurora, Colo., and in Oakdale, La., — have no judges left, just the court supervisor.
➡️ With fewer judges and courts, immigrants are seeing their cases pushed back as far as 2030. Lawyers say the delays make their clients more susceptible to arrests and deportations.