Tracy Short, the top immigration judge in the United States, is reportedly to step down as he finds himself at odds with a White House that repeatedly demonstrates a lenient attitude toward illegal immigration.
Short has served in the role of Chief Immigration Judge since 2020. According to the Washington Times, sources say he has been at odds with the Biden administration’s orders to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), an agency of the Department of Justice responsible for the administration of immigration courts.
The Times claims Short told colleagues in a Thursday note that he will be gone by month’s end. He lauded his colleagues’ “resilience” for many challenges over the years, which includes the COVID-19 outbreak and demands placed on immigration judges by the White House.
Sources inside EOIR told the Times that although the agency is supposed to remain independent, it has been ideologically taken hostage by the Biden administration. At least six judges brought on board during the Trump White House have been fired.
If the firings were motivated by political ideology, they could constitute a violation of civil service laws.
Speaking to the Times, one employee of the Justice Department said of the alleged purge at EOIR:
“Although the attorney general claimed he would not politicize DOJ, it has become a politicized, toxic and hostile environment due to these actions. Without congressional or [inspector general] oversight, employees are scared, especially at EOIR.”
In a statement to the outlet, EOIR acknowledged Short’s resignation but did not respond to questions about the firings.
“EOIR senior leadership will continue to work with the principal deputy and regional chief immigration judges to fairly and uniformly administer the nation’s immigration laws.”
In his current capacity, Short is responsible for setting courtroom policy and procedure and for overseeing the nation’s 600 immigration judges.
As part of their role, immigration judges rule in the cases of immigrants resisting their deporations, deciding whether they get to stay or must leave the country.
The Times raised the possibility that the White House is deliberately trying to transform the immigration courts to implement a more relaxed agenda:
Judges are supposed to operate independently based on the law, but the Biden team has weaponized the courts to try to achieve its policy goals, said Andrew “Art” Arthur, a former immigration judge who is now a resident law fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.
“If this is going on in the immigration court, what is to stop this going on anywhere?” he said. “A lot of this may seem like a discrete thing that only has an impact on immigration. But if you look at this, this is the same problem that led to the FBI drumming up these ridiculous accusations and becoming involved in politically motivated investigations.”
One way in which the Biden administration has dialed back the Trump White House’s hardline approach has been to clear the current backlog of immigration cases by rapidly terminating or dismissing cases — essentially rewarding illegal aliens with permission to stay in the United States.
Short had previously been targeted by left-wing groups, who wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding to know why Short had been brought on as Chief Immigration Judge and criticizing his background as a former principal legal adviser at ICE who fought back attempts to dismiss deportation cases. These groups urged Garland to “install new leadership” at EOIR.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) brought attention to last month’s firing of immigration judge Matthew O’Brien over what EOIR called “performance and/or conduct.”
As The New American has reported, TSA under Biden has been allowing illegal aliens to board flights by using their arrest warrants and deportation orders as ID.
When pressed by Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) during a Thursday hearing, TSA Administrator David Pekoske stated that, since the start of this year, nearly 1,000 illegal aliens have been allowed onto planes with the unconventional identification.
The restructuring of EOIR is indicative of the open dereliction of duty and sedition of the Biden administration. Rather than seeking to fulfill their constitutional obligations and uphold the law, Biden and his appointees are brazen in their efforts to aid and abet those who have broken federal immigration law.
