Skip to main content

2.0

Acting EOIR Director issues PM 25-02 to restore EOIR "core values" and Policy Manual

  1. Original Date Announced

    January 27, 2025

    On January 27, 2025, the Acting Director of EOIR issued Policy Memorandum (PM) 25-02 to "restore" EOIR's core values and resurrect the Policy Manual from Trump’s first term. PM 25-02 accuses the Biden Administration of severely undermining EOIR’s integrity, impartiality, and independence, and EOIR adjudicators of ignoring the law to reach “preferred policy outcomes."

    PM 25-02 describes Biden Administration EOIR's decision to divide up the Policy Manual and return control of it to the adjudicating components as contrary to the agency's mission. PM 25-02 states that the agency will revert to its old, unified format (with the clear implication that the agency Director and not the judges will again have editorial control over courtroom rules) but does not specifically rescind or modify any existing policies.

    PM 25-02 also claims the lack of a centralized Policy Manual allowed EOIR components to issue “secret operational policies." The memo provides only one example -- an unspecified memo that prohibited the use of standing orders -- and proceeds to rescind, without identification, this and all operational policy memos related to case adjudications that might have been issued during the Biden Administration.

    (Note: Reportedly, there have been changes made in the Policy Manual since its restoration was announced. However, while Chapter 1.1(d) indicates that each page will reflect when it was last updated, none of the pages actually do so. Outside Appendix P -- which contains only an unhelpful Table of Changes listing Policy Memos from the Acting Director -- the only way to know what changes have been made is to compare line-by-line the last available version and the most current version of the 600+ page document.)

    Trump 2.0 [ID# 1462]

    EOIR PM 25-02
  2. Effective Date

    January 27, 2025
  3. Subsequent Trump and Court Action(s)

    • January 28, 2025

      2025.01.28 EOIR Policy Manual

      EOIR issued a "new" policy manual on January 28, 2025. This Policy Manual is a return to the same Policy Manual that was used during President Trump's first term.

      View Document

Current Status

None

Original Trump Policy Status

Status: Final/Actual
Trump Administration Action: Agency Directive
Subject Matter: Hearings and Adjudications
Agencies Affected: EOIR

Pre Trump-Era Policies

To provide information, corrections, or feedback, please email IPTP.feedback@gmail.com

To provide information, corrections, or feedback, please email IPTP.feedback@gmail.com