Major San Francisco immigration court set to close in 2027, staff told

The main San Francisco immigration court at 100 Montgomery St. is expected to close in January 2027, and staff have been told they will be reassigned to the federal immigration court in Concord as soon as this summer, according to sources cited by Mission Local.

People familiar with the court told the outlet on Tuesday that the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts nationwide, will not renew the lease for the Montgomery Street facility. The building is one of two immigration court locations in San Francisco and houses the majority of the city’s immigration judges.

The smaller court at 630 Sansome St. in the Financial District is expected to remain open, according to the same sources. As of now, the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s own website continues to list the Montgomery Street court’s “operational status” as open. The agency did not immediately respond to Mission Local’s request for comment on the planned closure or on any transition timeline.

The shift comes as San Francisco’s immigration courts face a heavy case backlog and significant recent cuts to judicial staffing. In early spring 2025, there were 21 immigration judges across the two San Francisco locations, with most based at 100 Montgomery, according to Mission Local’s reporting. By the end of January 2026, that number is expected to drop to four judges.

Mission Local reports that the Trump administration fired 13 of the San Francisco immigration judges, while another four were scheduled to retire by the end of January 2026. The article does not specify how many of the remaining four judges are assigned to Montgomery Street versus Sansome Street.

The courts are working through more than 120,000 pending immigration cases in San Francisco, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse cited in the piece. The story does not clarify how many of these cases are currently set for hearings at 100 Montgomery St. or how the docket will be redistributed if that courthouse closes.

The Concord immigration court, which is expected to receive staff reassigned from San Francisco, has also seen recent personnel changes. Five Concord-based immigration judges have been fired, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges, which was cited in the article. Two of those judges had not yet started hearing cases when they lost their jobs.

Seven immigration judges remain at the Concord court, according to its official website. It is not yet clear from the available information how many San Francisco judges or staff will be moved to Concord, whether additional judges will be hired, or how the transfer will affect existing hearing dates.

Both the Sansome Street and Montgomery Street courts have been the focus of enforcement attention in recent years. The article notes that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out monthly arrests at both locations starting in May 2025. According to a tracker maintained by Mission Local, those arrests slowed significantly in October and November.

In 2026, Mission Local reports it has not tracked any ICE arrests at either San Francisco immigration court site. The story does not state whether ICE has changed its policies or tactics around courthouse arrests, or whether the apparent slowdown is temporary.

The reported plan to close the Montgomery Street facility shifts an important venue for immigration hearings away from San Francisco’s downtown. For Bay Area residents with open cases, the change could alter where they must travel for proceedings, although specifics on case transfers, scheduling, and transportation impacts are not yet available in the information provided.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review has not publicly outlined how it will manage the San Francisco docket after the Montgomery closure, what will happen to the courtroom space, or whether the Sansome Street location will see expanded operations. The agency also has not commented on how recent judge firings and retirements in both San Francisco and Concord will affect wait times or case outcomes.

Mission Local’s story situates the Montgomery Street closure within a broader pattern of cuts and legal challenges involving immigration enforcement in San Francisco. The outlet has previously reported on conditions in local immigrant holding cells, litigation over those conditions, and alleged abuses by fake immigration attorneys. Those issues form part of the context in which any restructuring of the local immigration court system will be watched by attorneys, advocacy groups, and immigrants with pending cases.

Key details about the move remain unresolved. The precise date when staff will begin transferring to the Concord court is not specified, beyond sources saying it could be as early as this summer. It is also not clear whether all remaining San Francisco based judges will eventually sit in Concord, or whether some will stay at Sansome Street. The story does not indicate what will happen to support staff whose jobs are currently based at 100 Montgomery St.

As of now, according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s own listing, the 100 Montgomery St. court is still operating. The agency has yet to confirm the closure publicly or disclose any official transition plan.

For Bay Area immigrants, attorneys, and community groups, the reported decision signals a significant reconfiguration of where and how immigration cases will be heard in the region. The ultimate impact will depend on how quickly federal officials formalize the move, how they deploy judges between San Francisco and Concord, and whether the existing case backlog can be managed during the transition.

Those answers are not yet available. Until the Executive Office for Immigration Review issues a public explanation or updated guidance, the future of the 100 Montgomery St. immigration court and the full implications for San Francisco’s role in the federal immigration court system remain uncertain.