Judges thrust into debate over policies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Immigration judges have been thrust into the center of the controversy over the Trump administration's immigration policies.

President Donald Trump questioned on Twitter the need for judges to hear cases from Central American migrants who arrive on the Mexico border.

The judges say everyone deserves due process regardless of their citizenship. They fear a mistake on an asylum case could send someone to jail, torture or to their death.

The administration has announced production quotas for the judges, who are lawyers hired by the Department of Justice.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has narrowed the conditions they can consider for asylum, which could affect many Central American cases.

Trump also recently lashed out at a proposal in Congress to hire more judges, saying it would lead to "graft."