Jennifer Peyton, a former assistant chief immigration judge in Chicago, said she has watched more than 100 judicial colleagues be abruptly terminated, transferred or resign this year.

Peyton and Carla Espinoza are among a group of dozens of judges who have been terminated without explanation since President Donald Trump took office in January. Both women spoke out Monday about what they called a lack of transparency and due process — adding they’re concerned about a staggering 3.5 million backlog in immigration cases.

“Since January 2025, immigration courts… are no longer honoring or offering due process like it did when I was appointed in September 2016. The court system has been systematically and intentionally destroyed, defunded and politicized by this administration,” Peyton said at

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