San Francisco immigration judge Shuting Chen was listening to testimony from three Venezuelan siblings seeking asylum when an unexpected email appeared on her computer. The subject line read: “Notice of Termination.”
Chen said she felt as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Even though she had spent months helping other fired colleagues clear out their offices, she never imagined she would receive her own dismissal notice during a hearing.
An Emotional Moment in Court
The moment Chen saw the email, she broke down in tears. She informed the attorneys, interpreter and asylum-seekers that she had been fired and could not finish the case. The asylum-seekers’ attorney, Julie Reddy Wiltshire, also began crying.
Chen apologized and left the courtroom. Wiltshire described the scene as “disgraceful” and said it made her question the strength of the rule of law in the United States.
Her clients, who had already waited years for their chance to present their asylum case, may now face even more years of delay.
A Wave of Firings Hits San Francisco
Chen was one of five San Francisco immigration judges fired on Friday by the Department of Justice. In total, 12 judges from the San Francisco court have been terminated this year, leaving only nine judges to handle the workload normally meant for 21.
None of the fired judges have been replaced. Instead, the Trump administration posted job openings labeling new hires as “deportation judges.”
Nationwide Firings Raise Concerns
Across the country, at least 90 immigration judges have been dismissed in 2025 — an unprecedented number. These judges are responsible for deciding asylum cases and appeals for people facing deportation.
The immigration court backlog continues to grow, hitting a record 3.4 million cases. In San Francisco, asylum-seekers were already waiting an average of 4.5 years for a hearing, a number expected to rise sharply.
No Explanation Given
Chen said she was not told why she was fired. She believes the removals are a deliberate effort to weaken the San Francisco immigration court.
Chen was appointed in 2022 under the Biden administration. Of the four other judges fired alongside her, two were originally appointed by Trump.
Advocates Fear Political Pressure
Immigration advocates say they believe the firings are intended to push judges to issue deportations more quickly or replace experienced judges with military attorneys who may have little or no immigration law experience.
A Chronicle analysis found that many of the judges who were fired in San Francisco had some of the highest asylum grant rates. However, the nationwide pattern is more mixed, with some fired judges having low asylum approval rates.
Justice Department Responds
Department of Justice spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre declined to explain the firings. However, she claimed the Biden administration had been “forcing immigration courts to implement a de facto amnesty.”
There is no evidence that immigration judges were instructed to make specific decisions or grant asylum unfairly.
Massive Backlog Ahead
The firing of Chen and four other judges leaves an estimated 25,000 cases to be reassigned to the remaining judges. According to Chen, hearings were already being scheduled as far out as 2029 due to lack of staff. The newly added cases will likely push many hearings back at least four more years.
Chen said the workload left behind for her colleagues is “inhumane.” Still, she believes they will do everything they can to ensure fair hearings for immigrants.
A Judge with Deep Personal Connection to Immigration
Chen came to the United States from China when she was 8 years old. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2009 and later ran her own immigration law practice for six years, helping clients with asylum and deportation defense.
Before becoming a judge, she served as a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
She said she never took her job for granted. “I worked every day to make sure the laws that allowed me to be here were applied fairly,” she said. “I’m not just losing a job — I’m mourning the breakdown of a system.”
Conclusion
The sudden firing of Judge Shuting Chen in the middle of an asylum hearing highlights a growing crisis inside the U.S. immigration court system. With judges being removed at record levels and no replacements hired, thousands of immigrants face longer waits, less stability and a system struggling under immense pressure. Chen’s emotional departure underscored the human cost behind the political decisions shaping immigration policy today.
