Congressman Mark DeSaulnier sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice raising concerns and requesting information about the planned closure of the San Francisco Immigration Court and its anticipated impact on the Concord Immigration Court. The letter follows notice given in January to employees and judges that the San Francisco court will shut down by the end of the year, with remaining staff and many cases to be transferred to Concord—nearly 30 miles away in a city the Congressman represents.
In the letter, Congressman DeSaulnier wrote, “If the San Francisco court closes, the Concord court will become one of only two federal immigration courts serving all of Northern California, a region with more than 12 million residents. Individuals appearing before these courts are navigating legal asylum and immigration processes, and this closure will create additional logistical challenges for people who already face significant barriers to securing their legal rights.”
He also noted that since January 2025, the number of judges at both courts has declined sharply. The San Francisco court began 2025 with 21 judges but now has only four, following firings and early retirements. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), the two courts together currently face a backlog of 177,827 cases, with hearings already being scheduled years in advance. Given the limited capacity and heavy caseload, DeSaulnier argued that reducing access to immigration courts in the Bay Area would be irresponsible.
To better understand the decision, the Congressman requested that the Department of Justice provide detailed information by April 14, 2026, including:
- The data used to justify closing the San Francisco Immigration Court, along with current backlog figures, average time to merits hearings, continuance rates, and in absentia rates for both courts
- Which courts, in addition to Concord, will receive pending San Francisco cases
- The timeline for transferring cases
- How respondents and attorneys will be notified of new hearing locations and dates
- Whether cases will receive automatic continuances due to the transfer
- Plans to expand remote or hybrid hearing options
- Strategies to reduce the growing backlog in California and nationwide while ensuring fair legal processes
- Whether there are plans to expand the Concord court facility or hire additional judges
- How the agency will ensure that individuals attending hearings in Concord feel safe and welcome, including expectations for transparency from federal immigration enforcement agents
- Whether additional judges will be hired or reassigned to handle the increased caseload
- The projected backlog resulting from consolidating cases
DeSaulnier also requested a meeting with Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Julie Nelson of the San Francisco Immigration Court to further discuss these issues.
So Marky is concerned Concord will be overrun by illegals.
He can thank Biden and Newsom.
The Trump administration doesn’t want legal immigration into the US. Appeals process gutted, 25% fewer immigration judges this year. We’re going to ride our plummeting birth rates into demographic collapse just like Japan and Korea.
No he is removing illegals as he should because that is one of the reasons we voted for him! We most definitely aren’t Japan or Korea so the comparison is not accurate.
Our birth rate has been below the replacement value of 2.1 since 2007. That means we will see more deaths than births in the future if it does not rise or we do not increase immigration enough to support it. This is what Japan and Korea are going through as well. These are simple facts. Not my opinions.
JimH,
.
That’s why we allow in over 1 million legal immigrants each year.
No they are not facts they are curated information fed to you. You’re right it’s not your opinion it’s your religion.
What I said is really easy to google and verify. I’m sorry if these facts about Americas birth rate upset you.
It’s just too expensive to raise a family these days because Democrats keep raising taxes and imposing all sorts of fees and regulations that are strangling Americans financially.
Start voting for conservative Republicans and smaller government and maybe we’ll decide to have some more kids.
Mark just doesn’t want too many foreigners in his district pissing off all his Socialist Democrat minions. They might realize it actually is an invasion!
Instead wasting all this time and money the solution is rather simple and clear it’s called enforcing our immigration law on the books. Anyone who is in our country illegally needs to be deported now no questions asked. I want to see as many ICE agents as it take to complete the job! ICE in baby and let them do their job!!!
Supposedly there are between 2.6 and 2.9 million illegals in CA. If all of them were deported, I wonder what it would do to housing availability, prices, rental cost, food prices, school cost, medical costs, etc. etc.
Things would drastically improve for the citizens
It would save at least the $31 billion we currently spend supporting illegals in this state every year.
Wow, Mark actually did something! Fired off a strongly worded letter. 70% chance he told ChatGPT what he wanted it to say and then cut and pasted. He’s the BEST at cutting and pasting whatever Nancy sends him. Completely useless.
Mark is “fighting the immigrants”?
Lol! Paul…. it isn’t even happy hour yet!
Staring early tonight?
Don’t worry Marky you let enough in under biden to make sure you get re-elected.
Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs
U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review
January 22, 2024
.
“FALLS CHURCH, VA – The Executive Office for Immigration Review
(EOIR) today announced it will open a new immigration court in
Concord, California, on February 12, 2024, expanding its presence
in Northern California. The Concord Immigration Court will have 21
immigration judges. EOIR will officially notify all parties whose cases
are reassigned to the Concord Immigration Court.”
https://tinyurl.com/mu9a7pf3 . . . . 2024 notice
.
2024 notice has includes phone numbers for San Francisco
Court, Concord Court and phone number for Office of
Communications and Legislative Affairs in Virginia.
congressman could perhaps call those numbers for
information he’s looking for.
Try as I might, I just cannot give a chrap.
Congressman DeSaulnier: Please have concern over the people that elected you into office, us citizens who you should be accountable to. Stop championing the causes of everyone else but us.
Badge 1104,
.
Congressman DeSaulnier does have concern for the citizens who elected him into office, it’s the 65% of 10th District voters who voted for him and not the 35% of voters who voted against him.
I see making stats that fit “the” narrative how original! Guarantee more voted against this waste of skin.
bddp,
.
I didn’t make up any stats to fit any narrative. I suggest you speak with Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Kristen Connelly as she certified the results that Congressman Mark DeSaulnier received 65.5% of the vote in his 2024 reelection race (the lowest winning percentage of his Congressional career) against his opponent Katherine Piccinini who received 35.5% of the vote.
According to Congressman DeSaulnier, the immigration court is open to the public, if you’d ever like to sit in the gallery.
Can I bring ice while I watch my tax dollars remove those who have entered this country illegally or have overstayed their visa?
They should there at every illegal’s hearing on OUR tax dollar.
Mark, most of you bullets (ops points) are feel good BS. I work in the private sector, cut the BS and get to a solution. PROBLEM DATA – SF Court in 2025 had 21 judges but now has only four, following firings and early retirements. .SOLUTIONING OPTIONS -a) proactively hire replacement judges for those planning to retire. b) Firing Remediation – determine what adjustments to hiring practices need to be made to reduce the firings due to poor performance. Update training programs to improve performance and reduce need to fire. Keep expanding the above and create some efforts to solution the problem. Oh yeah, Trump Bad, Need to Fight. Duh!
Most of the woke judges knew what was coming for them and got out before they were forced out.
Seems like having a busy court would be good for Concord. I’m perfectly fine with all the cases moving here and it’s not like it’s hard to get to the court building from the rest of the Bay Area.
Sounds good to me and while ICE is here they can do some city wide sweeps and remove all illegals wandering our streets! I see them every day walking to Trader Joe’s up and down Concord Avenue, they break into our businesses and defecate on the doorsteps! We have them on camera and have turned the evidence over but…thanks to our useless DA Becton this filth is free to terrorize the local small businesses.
Just a thought is this a distraction from the fact that the previously reported Mark’s April 1st ” Virtual Women’s Forum” turned out to be the joke it really was? This man is the absolute worst and it’s time for him to go.
Boneguy1,
.
Congressman DeSaulnier’s April 01, 2026 townhall was a “Virtual Immigration Townhall,” while he held his “Advancing Women’s Equality Townhall” in-person in Orinda in March for Women’s History Month.
.
Our lying, cheating, corrupt, preacher, and State Senator Tim Grayson has made it clear that he intends on replacing Mark DeSaulnier in Congress, the problem is that Tim Grayson is even worse than Mark DeSaulnier and we’d be stuck with him for decades.
I wonder how much is being saved by no longer needing to lease all those offices.