San Francisco Immigration Court Closes, Cases Moved to Concord

San Francisco’s main immigration court has closed, leaving the city without a primary venue for immigration hearings. The court, which once employed 21 judges, was operating with only two when it shut down on May 1, following a series of firings, retirements, and resignations.

The closure is part of broader changes to the immigration court system under the current administration, which is managing a nationwide backlog of millions of asylum cases. Nearly all of the San Francisco court’s judges have departed, with many reportedly dismissed as part of what observers describe as a purge of federal immigration judges. The remaining two judges will now work from another federal building in the city but will be part of a court located across the bay.

Most of the San Francisco court’s 117,000 pending cases have been transferred to a courthouse in Concord, approximately 30 miles away. That facility, which opened two years ago to help manage caseloads, has itself seen its roster of judges reduced from 11 to five this year and now faces an increased workload.

The San Francisco court had long been considered one of the nation’s most favorable for asylum seekers, with a high rate of...