PHOENIX (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday that the Justice Department plans to remove immigration judges who process cases too slowly or fail to properly apply the law, as the Trump administration works to accelerate deportations and address a massive backlog of 3.7 million pending cases.
Speaking at the annual Border Security Expo in Phoenix, which brings together immigration officials, law enforcement, and government contractors, Blanche outlined the administration’s strategy to overhaul immigration courts. His presence at the event underscores how border security has become a top administration priority.
In an interview with The Associated Press following his conference remarks, Blanche provided the most comprehensive details yet about immigration court reforms since taking over after Pam Bondi’s departure last month.
“You take an oath and you’re not allowed to make decisions based upon what appear to be just sympathy or your whim,” Blanche stated.
“If there’s judges that are just not applying the law in the way that it needs to be applied, delaying inappropriately, have backlogs that are just unacceptable, they’re the folks that we’re going to try to find somebody different to fill that spot.”
The Trump administration has positioned mass deportations as a cornerstone policy, launching a comprehensive government-wide initiative to meet ambitious removal targets. The effort includes expanded enforcement operations in U.S. cities, increased detention capacity, and additional immigration officer recruitment.
Although the Department of Homeland Security primarily handles President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, immigration courts operate under Justice Department authority, making them crucial to the overall strategy.
During Trump’s current term, dozens of immigration judges have lost their positions, with opponents claiming they were dismissed for approving too many asylum requests. The administration has also deployed masked officers to detain migrants at private asylum proceedings and issued directives requiring judicial compliance. Immigrant advocates report that routine court appearances have increasingly become arrest opportunities.
Immigration courts operate differently from federal courts, lacking strict procedural protections and lifetime tenure guarantees. The attorney general maintains broader authority to dismiss immigration judges compared to federal judicial positions.
However, legal advocates strongly oppose the administration’s court restructuring approach.
“Unfortunately, the Trump Administration is systematically dismantling due process protections in U.S. immigration courts, prioritizing speed and enforcement over fairness, accuracy, and fundamental justice,” the American Immigration Lawyers Association stated in a recent policy document.
Opposition groups also point to decisions by an internal court board that have restricted asylum pathways under the current administration. Blanche dismissed these concerns, maintaining that the rulings align with existing law.
Blanche identified ongoing issues with judges who continuously postpone cases and others who ignore legal requirements “because of sympathy towards individuals.”
With substantial congressional funding secured last summer for additional judicial hiring, the department is rapidly expanding its immigration judge workforce, though critics question whether new appointees meet qualification standards.
“We have a very rigorous process to get people interviewed, approved, and then trained up. And then we’ll watch them,” Blanche said, defending the hiring practices.
Blanche also revealed increased Justice Department focus on revoking citizenship from individuals accused of system fraud through “denaturalization” procedures. This process averaged only about twelve cases annually between 1990 and 2017.
“That’s one of the tools that we are using aggressively that hasn’t been used as aggressively in the past,” Blanche explained, though he declined to provide specific case numbers.
