Military lawyer swiftly fired after defying Trump deportation push
By Joshua Goodman, The Associated Press
Friday, Dec 19, 2025
A man holds his immigration paperwork while handcuffed after being detained by ICE agents outside an immigration courtroom. (Olga Fedorova/AP Photo)
A U.S. Army Reserve lawyer detailed as a federal immigration judge has been fired barely a month into the job after granting asylum at a high rate out of step with the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals, The Associated Press has learned.
Christopher Day began hearing cases in late October as a temporary judge at the immigration court in Annandale, Virginia. He was fired around Dec. 2, the National Association of Immigration Judges confirmed.
It’s unclear why Day was fired. Day did not comment when contacted by the AP, and a Justice Department spokeswoman declined to discuss personnel matters.
But federal data from November shows he ruled on asylum cases in ways at odds with the Trump administration’s stated goals.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2025/12/19/military-lawyer-swiftly-fired-after-defying-trump-deportation-push/
