Federal immigration judges fired by the Trump Administration over e-mail this month lashed out at Trump in an interview with CBS Evening News.
More than 100 immigration judges have been fired or resigned since President Trump took office this year.
In July, 20 immigration judges were fired.
Three of the fired judges – George Pappas, Jennifer Peyton and Carla Espinoza – spoke to CBS about their terminations. The disgruntled judges claimed they were politically pressured by the Trump Administration to grant motions to dismiss cases.
“It was arbitrary, unfair,” George Pappas told CBS News of his abrupt firing. “And it’s an attack on the rule of law. It’s an attack on judges.”
“My email was three sentences,” Jennifer Peyton whined. “I had no cause. I had no explanation.”
“We as judges, were in fear, we were concerned,” Carla Espinoza said. “That makes it very difficult to be impartial. We were not succumbing to that pressure but it does feel like pressure.”
Payton whined that once the illegal alien left the courtroom, ICE would handcuff them and whisk them away.
WATCH:
Former immigration judges are speaking out after sudden firings by the Trump administration, alleging political pressure and threats to due process in an already overwhelmed court system. CBS News’ @MauriceDuboisTV sat down with three judges who were terminated in July by email. pic.twitter.com/4JMjZEpNxj
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) July 24, 2025
Excerpt from CBS News:
George Pappas, Jennifer Peyton and Carla Espinoza were all federal immigration judges fired this month by email. The three ruled on thousands of immigration cases in Chicago and Boston.
Pappas served as an immigration judge in Boston until this week, overseeing more than 2,000 cases during his two years on the bench. Peyton led Chicago’s immigration court for nearly nine years, hearing thousands of cases until she was abruptly fired over the 4th of July weekend.
Peyton oversaw Espinoza, who was appointed in 2023 and decided more than 1,000 cases in the last fiscal year, double the average for immigration judges.
Peyton told CBS News she received no reason for her firing. Immigration judges are under the authority of the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.
