Photo by Michelle Kanaar The National Association of Immigration Judges’ Samuel Cole talks about a Trump administration rule that he says muzzles judges.
Above: Judge Samuel Cole of Chicago’s Immigration Court and director of communications of the National Association of Immigration Judges, pictured on April 10, 2020 outside his home in suburban Chicago. Photo by Michelle Kanaar.
The union representing immigration judges sued the Department of Justice this month over a policy that limits their ability to speak publicly about their work.
“Part of the job of an immigration judge is to educate the public about the immigration courts and the role they play in society,” said Judge A. Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, in a statement. “This policy prevents us from doing this critical work, undermining public understanding of and trust in the immigration courts in the process.”
Judge Samuel Cole is a judge at the Chicago Immigration Court and serves as the director of communications at NAIJ.
Borderless Magazine reporter Diane Bou Khalil spoke to Judge Samuel Cole about the lawsuit and what it means to be an immigration judge at this moment.
