Justice Department Imposes Quotas on Immigration Judges

The Trump administration has introduced production quotas for immigration judges in an effort to reduce enormous court backlogs, drawing criticism from some that decisions may be unfairly rushed.

The Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review said judges must complete 700 cases a year to earn a satisfactory grade. The standards, which take effect Oct. 1, include six other measures indicating how much time judges should spend on different types of cases and court motions.

The move, while significant, didn't come as a surprise. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees immigration courts, has sought major changes to unclog the courts as a sharp increase in deportation arrests under President Donald Trump has pushed the court backlog above 650,000 cases. In December, Sessions wrote judges that performance measures would aid in "the efficient and timely completion of cases and motions" while maintaining fairness.

James McHenry, director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, used similar language in an email Friday that details the new measures for the department's approximately 350 immigration judges.

"Using metrics to evaluate performance is neither novel nor unique to (the Executive Office for Immigration Review)," McHenry wrote. "The purpose of implementing these metrics is to encourage efficient and effective case management while preserving immigration judge discretion and due process."

The Associated Press obtained a copy of McHenry's memo and performance plan, whose contents were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The measures are highly specific. A judge who completes more than 560 cases a year but fewer than 700 "needs improvement." Deciding fewer than 560 cases a year is deemed unsatisfactory.

The Justice Department said Monday that judges complete an average of 678 cases a year.

Under one benchmark, judges must rule the same day on every plea by asylum seekers to pass an initial threshold of establishing "credible" or "reasonable" fear to earn a satisfactory mark, unless the Homeland Security Department is responsible for them failing to show. Anything less than 80 percent is considered unsatisfactory.

The National Immigration Judges Association, which represents the judges in collective bargaining agreements, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Laura Lynch, senior policy counsel for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said immigration attorneys were deeply concerned that cases will be "rushed through" to meet arbitrary measures.

"Subjecting judges to numerical goals undermines one of the core principles of our judicial system, which is really a fair day in court," she said.