Immigration judges union moves toward regaining authority

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has dropped opposition to reviving a union of immigration judges that had been stripped of authority during the final months of the Trump administration. The Federal Labor Relations Authority ruled that the nearly 500 immigration judges in the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review were management officials and therefore ineligible for collective bargaining rights. Under pressure from labor groups and Democrats in Congress, the department said in a filing Friday that it no longer opposed efforts by the union to regain its authority. The union said Tuesday that it was optimistic the move would reverse what it called an attempt by the Trump administration to silence judges.