diff --git a/cue/ast/ast.go b/cue/ast/ast.go
index d24b83550..a23671edd 100644
--- a/cue/ast/ast.go
+++ b/cue/ast/ast.go
@@ -1093,10 +1093,6 @@ type File struct {
 	Filename string
 	Decls    []Decl // top-level declarations; or nil
 
-	// Deprecated: use [File.ImportSpecs].
-	// TODO(mvdan): remove in mid 2026.
-	Imports []*ImportSpec // imports in this file
-
 	Unresolved []*Ident // unresolved identifiers in this file
 
 	// TODO remove this field: it's here as a temporary
diff --git a/cue/ast/astutil/sanitize.go b/cue/ast/astutil/sanitize.go
index ae407fdd7..84538601e 100644
--- a/cue/ast/astutil/sanitize.go
+++ b/cue/ast/astutil/sanitize.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package astutil
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"math/rand/v2"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 
 	"cuelang.org/go/cue/ast"
@@ -171,19 +172,12 @@ func (z *sanitizer) markUsed(s *scope, n *ast.Ident) bool {
 }
 
 func (z *sanitizer) cleanImports() {
-	var fileImports []*ast.ImportSpec
 	for decl := range z.file.ImportDecls() {
-		newLen := 0
-		for _, spec := range decl.Specs {
-			if _, ok := z.referenced[spec]; ok {
-				fileImports = append(fileImports, spec)
-				decl.Specs[newLen] = spec
-				newLen++
-			}
-		}
-		decl.Specs = decl.Specs[:newLen]
+		decl.Specs = slices.DeleteFunc(decl.Specs, func(spec *ast.ImportSpec) bool {
+			_, ok := z.referenced[spec]
+			return !ok
+		})
 	}
-	z.file.Imports = fileImports
 	// Ensure that the first import always starts a new section
 	// so that if the file has a comment, it won't be associated with
 	// the import comment rather than the file.
diff --git a/cue/build/instance_test.go b/cue/build/instance_test.go
index 9d046969c..4e63a7a6b 100644
--- a/cue/build/instance_test.go
+++ b/cue/build/instance_test.go
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ func TestPartiallyResolved(t *testing.T) {
 				Expr:  &ast.Ident{Name: "bar", Node: spec2},
 			},
 		},
-		Imports: []*ast.ImportSpec{spec1, spec2},
 	}
 
 	p := &Instance{
diff --git a/cue/parser/parser.go b/cue/parser/parser.go
index d344bdc33..e53b11412 100644
--- a/cue/parser/parser.go
+++ b/cue/parser/parser.go
@@ -72,8 +72,6 @@ type parser struct {
 
 	// Non-syntactic parser control
 	exprLev int // < 0: in control clause, >= 0: in expression
-
-	imports []*ast.ImportSpec // list of imports
 }
 
 func (p *parser) init(filename string, src []byte, opts []Option) {
@@ -1860,7 +1858,6 @@ func (p *parser) parseImportSpec(_ int) *ast.ImportSpec {
 		Path: &ast.BasicLit{ValuePos: pos, Kind: token.STRING, Value: path},
 	}
 	c.closeNode(p, spec)
-	p.imports = append(p.imports, spec)
 
 	return spec
 }
@@ -1978,7 +1975,6 @@ func (p *parser) parseFile() *ast.File {
 	p.closeList()
 
 	f := &ast.File{
-		Imports:         p.imports,
 		Decls:           decls,
 		LanguageVersion: p.cfg.Version,
 	}
diff --git a/internal/astinternal/testdata/debugprint/file.txtar b/internal/astinternal/testdata/debugprint/file.txtar
index 0abdcbcd6..5901f0ec2 100644
--- a/internal/astinternal/testdata/debugprint/file.txtar
+++ b/internal/astinternal/testdata/debugprint/file.txtar
@@ -100,33 +100,6 @@ import (
 			Rparen: token.Pos("imports.cue:8:1", newline)
 		}
 	}
-	Imports: []*ast.ImportSpec{
-		{
-			Path: *ast.BasicLit{
-				ValuePos: token.Pos("imports.cue:3:8", blank)
-				Kind: token.Token("STRING")
-				Value: "\"foo\""
-			}
-		}
-		{
-			Path: *ast.BasicLit{
-				ValuePos: token.Pos("imports.cue:6:2", newline)
-				Kind: token.Token("STRING")
-				Value: "\"bar\""
-			}
-		}
-		{
-			Name: *ast.Ident{
-				NamePos: token.Pos("imports.cue:7:2", newline)
-				Name: "name"
-			}
-			Path: *ast.BasicLit{
-				ValuePos: token.Pos("imports.cue:7:7", blank)
-				Kind: token.Token("STRING")
-				Value: "\"baz\""
-			}
-		}
-	}
 	LanguageVersion: "v0.13.0"
 }
 -- out/debugprint/empty.cue/omitempty-strings --
@@ -199,25 +172,5 @@ import (
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	Imports: []*ast.ImportSpec{
-		{
-			Path: *ast.BasicLit{
-				Value: "\"foo\""
-			}
-		}
-		{
-			Path: *ast.BasicLit{
-				Value: "\"bar\""
-			}
-		}
-		{
-			Name: *ast.Ident{
-				Name: "name"
-			}
-			Path: *ast.BasicLit{
-				Value: "\"baz\""
-			}
-		}
-	}
 	LanguageVersion: "v0.13.0"
 }