FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2026
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON —The Acacia Center for Justice welcomes the introduction of the Real Courts, Real Rule of Law Act. This legislation would transform the nation’s immigration court system into an independent judiciary, establishing critical safeguards to protect against the pressures of political dogma in a system meant to be guided by the rule of law.
Unlike other federal courts, immigration judges are Justice Department employees, creating a system in which the nation’s chief prosecutor ultimately oversees the adjudicators deciding deportation cases. This legislation arrives at a pivotal moment, when the independence and integrity of the immigration courts have been placed under unprecedented strain. Since January 2025, over 100 immigration judges have been fired and policy after policy has been passed down to curb judicial independence as respondents are fast-tracked through the system at record speed.
An independent immigration judiciary would help restore public confidence in the courts, strengthen the rule of law, and ensure that no administration can use the immigration courts to dictateits enforcement agenda and influence case outcomes.
Lillie Hinkle, Acacia’s Manager of Federal Policy, welcomed the introduction and said:
“Immigration judges make some of the most consequential decisions in our legal system. Their judgements can banish and devastate; protect and reunify. The administration’s decimation of the immigration judge corps and rapid processing of children through the courts has laid bare the political vulnerabilities of the immigration court system. An independent judiciary is one of the bedrock principles of our democracy, yet people facing deportation are asked to trust a court housed within the very agency responsible for fiercely pursuing and prosecuting their removal.Fairness is farce when the scales are tipped so heavily in the government’s favor. Immigration judges should be able to decide whether children and families fleeing persecution will be sent back to danger without political interference.
We are grateful to Sens. Durbin (D-IL) and Gillibrand (D-NY), Rep. Lofgren (D-CA), and the bill’s cosponsors for recognizing that the immigration courts need more than resources – they need significant structural reform. Acacia looks forward to working with Congress and our partners to build an immigration court system that is transparent, accountable, independent, and worthy of the life-changing decisions it is entrusted to make.”
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