The Trump administration has reshaped the US immigration court system by hiring more than 140 new judges and removing more than 100 others, according to the source.
The changes have helped accelerate deportation cases and reduced asylum-grant rates to 7 percent as of February.
The Board of Immigration Appeals has also tightened rules for immigration cases. The source said those rulings have affected people with pending green card, asylum or other applications.
The Department of Justice replaced some judges viewed as having higher asylum approval rates. New appointees were described as more focused on enforcement.
The Board of Immigration Appeals also limited appeal timelines and restricted bond hearings for detained immigrants.
Read: US Judge Blocks Trump’s Rapid Deportation Policy
Federal courts have pushed back against some measures. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island blocked policies that sought to pause decisions on green card, work authorisation and asylum applications for applicants from 39 countries.
Other federal judges have temporarily halted some appeal restrictions. Advocates argued that the limits denied immigrants meaningful review of their cases.
