Immigration advocates have supported around 20,000 lawsuits aiming to help approximately 17,300 undocumented immigrants, many of whom have criminal records. This effort has been largely facilitated by judges appointed during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Politico highlights the considerable pushback against President Donald Trump’s 2024 deportation directive. The publication is tracking an influx of lawsuits related to the government’s immigration policies, particularly those concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This initiative began in July when a database was released, documenting over 20,000 cases where federal district courts have ruled on ICE’s detention practices.
Michael Howell, from the Heritage Foundation’s Surveillance Project, suggested to Breitbart News that significant portions of the funding stem from various sources, including some government funds, legal clinics from universities, and major donors like the ACLU. He characterized it as a multi-billion dollar industry supporting U.S. immigration strategies.
President Trump’s Justice Department supports this campaign partly to lessen the number of deportations, which have been rising steadily. They have also requested that the U.S. Supreme Court clarify the rules for “habeas corpus” cases, which mandate ICE to release certain immigrants.
According to Politico, the ruling data reflects that around 17,300 cases were judgments against the administration from judges appointed by the president. Notably, Biden’s nominated judges ruled against ICE detention in 92% of 5,914 cases. Comparatively, judges appointed by former President Obama ruled similarly in 95% of 4,360 cases, while appointments from President George W. Bush sided against ICE in 90% of 3,072 cases. In contrast, Trump-appointed judges agreed with ICE in only 34% of 3,946 cases.
James Percival, legal counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, expressed that liberal judges are being used to undermine the president’s objectives, claiming that a strategy is at play to delay proceedings.
Politico has provided a limited overview of the 20,000 lawsuits but has not thoroughly explained the funding sources or the organizations involved in recruiting lawyers for immigrants, whether paid or unpaid. Many of these organizations also benefit economically from a large immigrant consumer base.
Legal groups involved are diverse, including the Justice Action Center, Ayuda, Amica Immigrant Rights Center, and Al Otro Lado, among others. While some groups have received support from Biden administration members, these resources have diminished under Trump’s governance.
Furthermore, Politico has not extensively compared the decisions of immigrant judges to those from American-born judges. For instance, Judge Jin Myung from the United States District Court in Massachusetts has released ten immigrants but has ruled against ICE consistently. Born in Seoul, South Korea, he immigrated to New York with his family and has participated in ethnic advocacy efforts.
