Senator Durbin speaks out against ‘political’ firing of immigration judges in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) — Political retribution. That’s what Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin describes as the only possible reason for the unprompted firing of immigration judges in Chicago and across the country.

In a new letter, he is demanding answers from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying it’s something judges are protected from by law.

One of those fired immigration judges spoke candidly the ABC7 I-Team.

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Former Immigration Judge Carla Espinoza said she was under intense scrutiny from Trump administration officials during a high-profile immigration case just weeks before she was removed from her position.

“There was a lot of pressure regarding the decision that I would render,” she said.

The case involved Ramon Morales-Reyes, who was accused of threatening to kill President Donald Trump, but Wisconsin investigators believe he was framed by a man trying to get him deported by sending threatening letters.

“I’m also concerned that my ruling in that particular case played a significant role in my subsequent termination,” Espinoza said.

Because evidence in the case presented to Espinoza showed Morales-Reyes was framed, she granted him bail, despite public comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying “Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars.”

“The only fair result was for me to rule in the case efficiently and based on the law, and that’s what I did,” explained Espinoza, who is one of 103 immigration judges summarily fired or who have opted to take a deferred resignation by the Trump administration. Some were notified by mail with no justification included.

Espinoza said she was one of the judges who received no explanation, but she described for the I-Team what she saw as a troubling and illegal pattern in the firings she said are potentially based on race, ethnicity and gender.

“All of the judges that were sworn along me that have a Hispanic last name, such as myself, have been terminated,” Espinoza said. “All of those that have a Middle Eastern or South Asian last name have been terminated. All of those who are openly LGBTQ have been terminated.”

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Matt Biggs, president of The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the union representing immigration judges, said this is a broad attack on the rule of law and due process.

“Chicago’s there at the top of the list as one of the one of the courts that’s been targeted,” he added. “Either bring in political hacks that will rule the way that President Trump demands they rule, and or just get to a point where you say, Hey, we don’t have enough judges to hear these cases, so we’re just going to deport people, period.”

Senator Durbin, recently standing side by side with Espinoza and other fired immigration judges, is now demanding answers from Attorney General Bondi. In a recently-released letter, he said in part, “The only plausible explanation for firing immigration judges… is a political one. However, immigration judges have protections from politicized hiring and firing.”

Espinoza is now back in private practice. She worries what about the future of a court system she cares deeply about.

“When due process of law and the rule of law is eroded, as I believe is happening in this case, people distrust the process, and there’s a fair reason to do that under the circumstances,” she said.

Espinoza said she is pursuing all legal avenues to remedy what she calls her illegal firing.

The I-Team reached out to Attorney General Bondi’s office, but has not heard back.