MIAMI (AP) — A U.S. Army Reserve lawyer detailed as a federal immigration judge has been fired barely a month into the job after granting asylum at a high rate out of step with the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals, The Associated Press has learned. Christopher Day began hearing cases in late October as a temporary judge at the immigration court in Annandale, Virginia. He was fired around Dec. 2, the National Association of Immigration Judges confirmed. It’s unclear why Day was fired. Day did not comment when contacted by the AP, and a Justice Department spokeswoman declined to discuss personnel matters. But federal data from November shows he ruled on asylum cases in ways at odds with the Trump administration’s stated goals. Of the 11 cases he concluded in November, he granted asylum or some other type of relief allowing the migrant to remain in the United States a total of six times, according to federal data analyzed by Mobile Pathways, a San Francisco-based non-profit. Such favorable outcomes for migrants have become increasingly rare as the Trump administration seeks to slash a massive backlog of 3.8 million asylum cases by radically overhauling the nation’s 75 immigration courts. In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to hear asylum cases. The American Immigration Lawyers Association has decried the influx of military officers lacking expertise in immigration law. Critics liken their appointments to cardiologists attempting to perform hip replacements. As part of that drive, the Trump administration has fired almost 100 judges viewed as too liberal. So far, only 30 members of the military have been detailed to the immigration courts, with a reported high rate of removals for migrants. Day, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, had prior experience working as an attorney for the Federal Communications Commission. Immigration judges can be dismissed by the Justice Department with fewer restrictions compared to other federal judges.
U.S. Army Reserve Lawyer Dismissed After Granting Asylum at High Rate
Christopher Day, a temporary immigration judge, was terminated just weeks into his position for granting asylum at a rate contrary to the Trump administration's deportation goals.
Christopher Day, a U.S. Army Reserve lawyer positioned as a temporary immigration judge, was fired after only five weeks in the role. His tenure ended abruptly when data revealed he granted asylum in six out of eleven cases in November, a stark contradiction to the Trump administration's strict deportation policies. Questions remain regarding the exact reasons for Day's dismissal, as the Justice Department declined to comment on personnel matters. The incident underscores ongoing tensions within the immigration court system amid a backdrop of judicial firings and military involvement in asylum claims.
