Justice Department Fires the Immigration Judges Who Blocked the Deportations of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi

The Justice Department dismissed a group of immigration judges in mid-April 2026, including two whose rulings had stopped the deportations of pro-Palestinian campus advocates. Judge Roopal Patel of the Boston immigration court had held in January 2026 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio's revocation of Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk's visa did not require her removal. Judge Nina Froes of the Chelmsford, Massachusetts court had blocked the deportation of Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi in February 2026. Judges in New York and California were also terminated. Both were Biden-era appointees within a two-year probationary period during which the attorney general may dismiss them. The Executive Office for Immigration Review said it "does not comment on personnel matters."

Immigration judges are Justice Department employees rather than Article III judges, so the removal power is real. The concern is adjudicative independence: removing judges shortly after they rule against the government in high-profile cases creates an incentive visible to every remaining judge deciding similar cases.

No challenge to the terminations had been filed as of the end of April 2026.