SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s immigration court has ceased operations entirely after the Trump administration purged nearly all of its judges, leaving only two remaining to handle cases relocated to a courthouse in Concord. The closure, announced in May 2025, marks the first major U.S. city to lose its primary immigration court, triggering chaos in a region long celebrated for its support of asylum seekers.
The court, which housed 21 judges when President Donald Trump took office in 2017, had been reduced to two by the spring of 2025 after nearly all judges were fired, retired, or resigned amid a White House purge. This dramatic shift in personnel has left no immigrants waiting for rulings or lawyers presenting arguments in the city, as the court’s final hearing was held before its closure.
The turmoil reflects nationwide upheaval in the immigration system, where the administration seeks to clear its massive backlog of 3.8 million asylum cases while prioritizing deportations. Asylum denial rates have surged as the government replaced nearly 100 judges considered too liberal with military lawyers, forcing immigrants to face arrests at courthouses for scheduled appearances.
San Francisco’s court, which once handled the third-highest number of asylum cases nationally, was historically favorable to petitioners. From 2019 to 2024, nearly 75% of cases secured relief compared to a 43% national average. This was partly due to the city’s extensive network of pro-immigrant organizations providing legal representation, with one of the highest rates of legal aid for immigrants in the country.
The closure has plunged asylum seekers into chaos. Cases previously handled in San Francisco are now processed at the Concord courthouse, a 30-mile drive away that opened two years ago. Security there has tightened dramatically, with armed guards requiring weapons checks and cell phone confiscations. Lawyers like Judah Lakin of Oakland describe hearing delays stretching to hours, including a recent 10-minute case that consumed over two hours of travel.
‘The ground is constantly shifting underneath your feet,’ Lakin said. ‘Your clients get arrested, hearings get canceled, judges get fired mid-proceedings. It’s part of the strategy.’ He cited a client whose asylum approval was revoked when the judge who signed it was abruptly fired, forcing the case to be reassigned three times.
Court insiders attribute the closure to San Francisco’s reputation as a sanctuary for immigrants. Jeremiah Johnson, a former judge who was fired in November 2024, noted, ‘It was a vibrant legal scene and so if you were looking to target a court, you would have to look at what San Francisco stands for.’
The closure follows a pattern of dismantling immigration courts across the nation. From 754 judges at the start of Trump’s second term, the system now has only about 600, including temporary replacements. Widespread arrests for missed hearings have led to hundreds of deportation orders in absentia, leaving asylum seekers in legal limbo.
Dana Leigh Marks, a former San Francisco immigration judge, sees the closure as part of a broader effort to undermine due process: ‘It’s all a part of big ways and little ways that the Trump administration is trying to get non-citizens out of the country.’
With the San Francisco court now defunct, the remaining two judges operate from a federal building in the city but handle cases as part of a court system now consolidated across the bay. For legal advocates, the shuttering represents a seismic shift in immigration justice, leaving vulnerable populations increasingly exposed to the administration’s deportation agenda.}
The court, which housed 21 judges when President Donald Trump took office in 2017, had been reduced to two by the spring of 2025 after nearly all judges were fired, retired, or resigned amid a White House purge. This dramatic shift in personnel has left no immigrants waiting for rulings or lawyers presenting arguments in the city, as the court’s final hearing was held before its closure.
The turmoil reflects nationwide upheaval in the immigration system, where the administration seeks to clear its massive backlog of 3.8 million asylum cases while prioritizing deportations. Asylum denial rates have surged as the government replaced nearly 100 judges considered too liberal with military lawyers, forcing immigrants to face arrests at courthouses for scheduled appearances.
San Francisco’s court, which once handled the third-highest number of asylum cases nationally, was historically favorable to petitioners. From 2019 to 2024, nearly 75% of cases secured relief compared to a 43% national average. This was partly due to the city’s extensive network of pro-immigrant organizations providing legal representation, with one of the highest rates of legal aid for immigrants in the country.
The closure has plunged asylum seekers into chaos. Cases previously handled in San Francisco are now processed at the Concord courthouse, a 30-mile drive away that opened two years ago. Security there has tightened dramatically, with armed guards requiring weapons checks and cell phone confiscations. Lawyers like Judah Lakin of Oakland describe hearing delays stretching to hours, including a recent 10-minute case that consumed over two hours of travel.
‘The ground is constantly shifting underneath your feet,’ Lakin said. ‘Your clients get arrested, hearings get canceled, judges get fired mid-proceedings. It’s part of the strategy.’ He cited a client whose asylum approval was revoked when the judge who signed it was abruptly fired, forcing the case to be reassigned three times.
Court insiders attribute the closure to San Francisco’s reputation as a sanctuary for immigrants. Jeremiah Johnson, a former judge who was fired in November 2024, noted, ‘It was a vibrant legal scene and so if you were looking to target a court, you would have to look at what San Francisco stands for.’
The closure follows a pattern of dismantling immigration courts across the nation. From 754 judges at the start of Trump’s second term, the system now has only about 600, including temporary replacements. Widespread arrests for missed hearings have led to hundreds of deportation orders in absentia, leaving asylum seekers in legal limbo.
Dana Leigh Marks, a former San Francisco immigration judge, sees the closure as part of a broader effort to undermine due process: ‘It’s all a part of big ways and little ways that the Trump administration is trying to get non-citizens out of the country.’
With the San Francisco court now defunct, the remaining two judges operate from a federal building in the city but handle cases as part of a court system now consolidated across the bay. For legal advocates, the shuttering represents a seismic shift in immigration justice, leaving vulnerable populations increasingly exposed to the administration’s deportation agenda.}
