The U.S. Justice Department has dismissed a sixth immigration judge from San Francisco since Donald Trump returned to office, continuing a trend targeting judges with immigrant advocacy backgrounds or high asylum approval rates. The latest judge to be removed, Shira Levine, was appointed in 2021 and terminated without explanation, according to NBC Bay Area.

Levine’s dismissal follows the removal of five other judges, including Chloe Dillon and Elisa Brasil, who had among the highest asylum approval rates in the court. Dillon described learning of her firing via a brief email after completing a lengthy asylum hearing. She was given little time to pack her belongings and transfer her docket of 6,000 cases without knowing who would take over.

The pattern of terminations under the Trump administration has raised concerns about ideological bias. Many of the dismissed judges were appointed during the Biden administration, had experience representing immigrants, or were known for granting asylum more often than average. Dillon said it reflects a political agenda that opposes higher asylum grants.

Statistics back the claim: five of the six judges fired had approval rates significantly higher than the national average of 50%, which fell to 36% last year. In contrast, Levine granted asylum in over 97% of her cases, while Dillon approved 96.5%, according to data from Syracuse University’s TRAC.

Former Judge Dana Leigh Marks criticized the dismissals as ideologically motivated and results-oriented. She argued that the pattern reflects a preference for judges who align with government positions over those who independently evaluate both sides of a case. Judges with immigrant defense backgrounds are being removed, while former government prosecutors remain in place.

Further signaling a shift, the Justice Department dropped immigration experience requirements for temporary judges and allowed 600 military lawyers to fill these roles, raising concerns about judicial independence and fairness.