According to a report in the Washington Post, the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants are now being decided by people who have no experience whatsoever on immigration issues, and who were seated based solely on their political views.
At least one-third of the immigration judges appointed by the Justice Department since 2004 have had Republican connections or have been administration insiders, and half lacked experience in immigration law, Justice Department, immigration court and other records show.
And why would they do such a thing? Why else? Blatant cronyism, of course...
Two newly appointed immigration judges were failed candidates for the U.S. Tax Court nominated by President Bush; one fudged his taxes and the other was deemed unqualified to be a tax judge by the nation's largest association of lawyers. Both were Republican loyalists.
Justice officials also gave immigration judgeships to a New Jersey election law specialist who represented GOP candidates, a former treasurer of the Louisiana Republican Party, a White House domestic policy adviser and a conservative crusader against pornography.
Some of these hires are particularly egregious. One of the appointed judges, immigration judge Glen Bower, is a suspected criminal who took inappropriate tax deductions. Bower also formerly worked as a revenue director for former Illinois Governor Ryan, who we all know had his own problems with ethics.
Another hire, Judge Garry Malphrus, was the associate director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and was also a Republican aide on Senate Judiciary subcommittees.
The cryonyism and blatant politicization doesn't stop there; nearly all of the appointed immigration judges mentioned in the article have deep political ties to the Republican party or white house directly, and all of these appointed judges had virtually no experience in immigration issues WHATSOEVER.
These appointments, all made by the attorney general, have begun to reshape a system of courts in which judges, ruling alone, exercise broad powers -- deporting each year nearly a quarter-million immigrants, who have limited rights to appeal and no right to an attorney. The judges do not serve fixed terms.
For the love of God, IMPEACH THIS MAN!!