San Francisco’s main immigration court shut on May 1, leaving no asylum hearings in the city and halted arguments. The docket fell from 21 judges when President Trump took office to just two remaining, after a White House purge that dismissed, retired or forced out most judges. With 3.8 million pending cases nationwide, the closure marks the first major city to lose its primary immigration forum.

Most of the 117,000 cases migrated to a Concord courthouse 30 miles away, which itself shrank from 11 judges at the start of 2025 to five after similar firings. The court historically granted relief in roughly 75 % of petitions, far above the 43 % national average, thanks to extensive pro‑immigrant legal networks. The shift also strains local nonprofits that relied on proximity to serve clients.

Attorneys report longer travel, tighter security and frequent hearing cancellations, pushing clients into legal limbo. One lawyer described a provisional asylum grant that vanished when the issuing judge was fired, forcing the case through multiple replacements. Clients risk missing deadlines as paperwork expires before a new judge can convene. The Justice Department’s ability to dismiss judges without cause has effectively thinned the bench, accelerating deportations.