ANOTHER GOP PURGE OF BIA JUDGES AS TRUMP REMOVES AT LEAST 9 GARLAND APPOINTEES

Hon. Paul W. Schmidt, Jan. 30, 2025

"Courtside has learned that the following eight Garland-appointed BIA Appellate Immigration Judges have been “reassigned” to staff positions: Geller, LeMelle, Kludt, Reilly, Brown, Nahas, Clark, and Borkowski. A ninth, unidentified AIJ was placed on “administrative leave.” The reassignments of these key quasi-judicial officials appears to be related to a memo sent to all agency heads from OPM on Jan. 20, stating: “No later than January 24, 2025, agencies should identify all employees on probationary periods, who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment, or who have served less than two years in an excepted service appointment, and send a report to OPM listing all such employees to employeeaccountability@opm.gov, with a copy to Amanda Scales at amanda.scales@opm.gov. In addition, agencies should promptly determine whether those employees should be retained at the agency.” Expect further weaponization of EOIR against due process and fundamental fairness (which are EOIR’s actual mission)!"