The U.S. Justice Department has sworn in 33 new immigration judges, including 27 temporary appointments, as the Trump administration continues efforts to staff what it calls “deportation judges” following the firing or forced departure of over 100 others.
The new judges were sworn in on Thursday, joining immigration courts in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. This follows an earlier October hiring of 36 immigration judges, including 25 temporary ones, after months of workforce reductions.
“After four years of Biden administration hiring practices that undermined the credibility and impartiality of the immigration courts, this Department of Justice continues to restore integrity to our immigration system and is proud to welcome these talented immigration judges to join in our mission of protecting national security and public safety,” a Justice Department spokesperson said.
Half of the permanent judges have a military background, and all temporary judges—who can serve up to six months—come from military or civilian legal positions within the Department of Defense. In September, the Pentagon announced that such personnel would temporarily serve as immigration judges under the leadership of Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has stated that more than 100 immigration judges, out of roughly 700 nationwide, have been removed since Trump returned to office in January 2025. The organization warns that these departures have further strained a court system already grappling with a backlog of approximately 3.2 million cases as of December 31, according to Mobile Pathways, a nonprofit monitoring immigration court data.
Under the Trump administration, thousands of migrants who previously might have been eligible for release on bond are now facing mandatory detention, following a Board of Immigration Appeals ruling in September that reinterpreted a key statute—an interpretation opposed by hundreds of federal judges.
The administration is also set to publish a fast-track regulation on Friday that would reduce the window to appeal an immigration judge’s decision to 10 days, while making it easier for the appeals board to dismiss cases, accelerating deportation processes.
