Annandale Immigration Judge Karen Donoso Stevens Says an Acting Assistant Chief Told Her 'Higher-Ups' Wanted Four Bond Rulings Vacated; Removed From Detained Docket Jan. 14, Fired May 21, 2026

Karen Donoso Stevens, an Annandale Immigration Court judge in Virginia, told the Washington Post that on Sept. 17, 2025 the court’s then-acting assistant chief immigration judge called her about four bond rulings she had granted and told her “higher-ups said I had to vacate my decs sua sponte.” The quote is from her note of the call, which the Post reviewed. The Post’s story is dated October 25, 2026. This is her allegation; the Post sent questions to DOJ, DHS and every official she named, and “None responded to the allegations.”

On Jan. 14, 2026 the court’s new acting assistant chief removed her from detained cases mid-hearing; asked why, she says he replied “I don’t know.” She received a termination notice on May 21, 2026 and has appealed. An executive office spokesperson told the Post the department “does not view adjudications in terms of outcomes” and does not comment on personnel matters.

The instruction she describes conflicts with the executive office’s own memo: acting director Sirce Owen wrote in summer 2025 that no one there can “direct any adjudicator to rule in a particular way.” Single-source so far (Post reporting; Yahoo syndication fetched, the Post original is paywalled). Her appeal is where a record would appear. Context: 2025-12-08–immigration-judge-purge-100-judges-fired.