Fired Judge Says Colorado's Immigration Courts Focus on Rapid Deportations, Not Due Process

Former Denver immigration judge Brea Burgie, fired in July 2026 without stated cause after granting bond to detained immigrants including high-profile activist Jeanette Vizguerra, says mounting political pressure is pushing Colorado's immigration courts toward rapid deportations at the expense of due process. Burgie, appointed in 2019 after a decade in the immigration system, is appealing her removal; she is among more than 100 immigration judges fired nationally under the current administration. Colorado's immigration courts face a backlog of more than 73,000 pending cases with fewer judges left to hear them.