U.S. judges pulled from Mexico border as crossings by women, children fall

A house stands next to a section of the border fence separating Mexico and the United States, in Tijuana, Mexico, February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two U.S. immigration judges recently sent to the Mexico border to process asylum requests from migrant women and children are being recalled as they have so few cases to hear, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The dearth of cases at two Texas facilities where the judges are based can be traced to a sharp drop in illegal border crossings by women and children since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.