Trump Administration Immigration Judges Sworn In, Adding 82 Cases
The Trump administration immigration judges corps grew by more than 80 this week after the Justice Department swore in 77 permanent judges and 5 temporary judges in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The additions come as the department tries to move deportation cases faster and bring staffing back toward the level it had when President Trump took office.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Thursday that the administration is "committed to reestablishing an immigration judge corps that is dedicated to restoring the rule to the law in our nation's immigration system." Blanche also said, "This could only happen thanks to President Trump's decisive leadership and commitment to securing our borders."
Washington, D.C. swearing-in
The Justice Department described the new class as the largest class of immigration judges in the department's history. Most of the judges joining this week had previously worked as ICE lawyers, prosecutors or in the military, while some had served as state or local judges or as lawyers in private practice.
The timing matters because immigration judges work for the Justice Department, not the independent judicial branch, and their rulings decide whether noncitizens the government is seeking to deport are removed from the United States or allowed to stay. In official job listings, the Trump administration has referred to immigration judges as deportation judges, a sign of how directly the administration has tied the courts to its mass deportation campaign.
Justice Department staffing changes
When President Trump took office, the Justice Department had more than 700 immigration judges. By earlier this year, that number had dipped below 600, after the administration ousted more than 100 immigration judges, including many appointed under the Biden administration. Justice Department officials said the new class would bring the corps back closer to 700 members.
The staffing push has come alongside a broader overhaul of the immigration courts. Over the past year, the Justice Department has issued directives and precedent-setting orders sharply restricting when immigration judges can grant asylum or other forms of relief, and it has also restricted when immigration judges can release people in ICE detention on bond.
ICE lawyers join the bench
The Justice Department said it hired 153 permanent immigration judges in fiscal year 2026, which began in October 2025. That pace suggests the administration is trying to rebuild the court system while also changing how those judges are allowed to use their authority.
For people whose cases are already pending, the most immediate change is capacity: more judges can move more cases, but the rules governing asylum, relief and bond are tighter than they were a year ago. That combination points to a court system that is getting bigger again while also operating under narrower limits.
