A federal judge’s decision to block President Donald Trump’s latest immigration enforcement measures is now under heavy scrutiny—not just for the ruling itself, but for the deep political entanglements of his wife.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, an Obama appointee, issued a targeted restraining order on Monday that shields certain religious facilities from immigration enforcement actions, arguing that Trump’s policy rollback on “sensitive” locations—like churches, schools, and hospitals—threatens religious freedom. But as investigative journalist Natalie Winters uncovered, this ruling may have more to do with politics than law.
The judge’s wife, Jacinta Ma, has a long and well-documented history of pushing far-left immigration policies, opposing Trump’s border security measures, and working within Democrat power structures. Her ties to pro-amnesty lobbying groups, including her past role as Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the National Immigration Forum (NIF), raise serious questions about her influence over her husband’s ruling.
NIF has aggressively opposed border security efforts, ICE raids, and deportation initiatives, making it one of the most vocal pro-amnesty organizations in the country. And who funds it? Reports indicate that George Soros’s Open Society Foundations is one of NIF’s largest financial backers, injecting millions into the group to push radical left-wing immigration policies.
A resurfaced funding disclosure confirmed that Soros’s foundation was NIF’s largest donor, amplifying concerns that Ma is not just an activist, but part of a broader globalist effort to dismantle immigration enforcement in the U.S.
Ma’s deep-rooted political affiliations don’t stop at NIF. She has held multiple roles under Democrat administrations, including as a senior advisor at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) during Obama’s presidency and later as Director of the Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs at the EEOC under Biden. There, she actively pushed for “anti-racism” and DEI-driven initiatives that aligned with progressive priorities.
Her opposition to Trump’s immigration policies has been loud and consistent. She has publicly criticized Trump’s refugee cap reductions, his effort to exclude illegal aliens from the U.S. Census, and his broader efforts to secure the border. In a 2020 USA Today op-ed, she laid out strategies for how Joe Biden could immediately reverse Trump’s immigration policies through executive orders—bypassing Congress altogether.
This isn’t just a case of a judge’s spouse having political opinions. Ma is a political operator with a track record of direct involvement in shaping immigration policy at the highest levels. Her close ties to organizations that actively work to undermine border security raise legitimate concerns about whether her husband’s ruling was impartial—or if it was influenced by her well-documented activism.
At the heart of Judge Chuang’s ruling is the claim that the Trump administration’s policy change would interfere with religious freedom, specifically for Quaker, Baptist, and Sikh congregations that filed suit. But Trump’s policy didn’t target religion—it targeted criminals who hide in places of worship to evade law enforcement. His administration has made it clear: schools and churches cannot be used as safe havens for fugitives.
