The Trump administration has shut down the Bay Area’s largest immigration court, a facility that had more than 120,000 pending cases. This court had become widely known not only for handling a high volume of immigration proceedings, but also for frequent ICE arrests and public protests. One widely circulated video showed a protester being dragged by an ICE vehicle, highlighting the tensions surrounding the site. With its closure, most cases previously handled at the Montgomery Street location will be transferred to a court in Concord. However, that court is already dealing with a backlog of about 60,000 cases and has only five judges available to manage them. As a result, the shift is expected to further delay asylum claims and immigration appeals across the region. Meanwhile, a smaller immigration court in San Francisco will remain open, but it will focus primarily on cases involving individuals currently held in ICE detention.
