Trump Administration Adds Record Immigration Judge Class as Deportation Courts Expand

21st May 2026
The Trump administration has sworn in the largest new class of immigration judges in U.S. history, moving quickly to expand the deportation court system as the White House pushes to reduce a backlog involving millions of immigration cases. The U.S. Department of Justice said 77 permanent immigration judges and five temporary judges were sworn in this week, bringing the total number of immigration judges to nearly 700 after more than 100 judges left the system earlier in President Donald Trump’s second term. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the group as the “largest immigration judge class in agency history” and tied the expansion directly to Trump’s border enforcement agenda. Immigration judges oversee asylum claims, deportation proceedings, detention disputes and removal hearings. Unlike federal judges, they operate under the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, meaning the immigration court system remains part of the executive branch rather than an independent judiciary. Because immigration judges work under the Justice Department, critics have long questioned how independent the courts can remain during aggressive immigration crackdowns. Why Trump Is Expanding Immigration Courts The administration says reducing the immigration court backlog is one of its biggest priorities. According to the Justice Department, pending immigration cases have fallen from roughly 4 million to under 3.53 million since Trump returned to office. The administration wants cases processed faster. Delays inside immigration courts can leave deportation and asylum proceedings unresolved for years. Many of the new judges come from criminal prosecution or immigration enforcement backgrounds. Critics of earlier Trump immigration policies argued that staffing courts heavily with former enforcement officials could push immigration courts closer toward enforcement goals rather than neutral case review. The administration has also referred to the expansion internally as part of its “deportation judge” strategy, language likely to renew debate over how immigration courts operate under presidential administrations. The five temporary judges sworn in this week include military lawyers who can serve six-month terms after the Pentagon previously confirmed Defense Department personnel could be assigned to immigration court duties. Political and Legal Pressure on Immigration Courts Immigration courts have struggled for years with rising asylum claims, staffing shortages and political battles over border enforcement. Supporters of the expansion say the hiring surge could help process cases faster inside a court system buried under millions of pending claims. Critics, however, are likely to question whether replacing large numbers of judges with candidates tied closely to immigration enforcement changes the balance and culture of the courts themselves. The expansion could reshape how asylum claims, deportation rulings and detention cases are handled across the immigration system. For migrants facing removal proceedings, changes inside the courts can directly affect whether families remain in the United States or are ordered to leave.