The Justice Department announced Thursday that it has sworn in its largest group of immigration judges ever, as the current administration continues reshaping the nation’s immigration court system.
Officials confirmed that 82 new immigration judges took their oath of office Wednesday in Washington, D.C., including 77 permanent positions and five temporary appointments. This brings the total number of immigration judges to approximately 700, following the dismissal of more than 100 judges by the current administration.
“Today, we are onboarding the largest immigration judge class in agency history,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “This could only happen thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership and commitment to securing our borders.”
These immigration judges operate under the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review rather than as part of the federal court system, alongside the Board of Immigration Appeals that reviews their rulings.
Following President Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025 with his strict immigration policies, his administration has dismissed at least 115 immigration judges while a comparable number have accepted buyouts, stepped down, or retired from a pool of roughly 700 judges, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges.
The administration has simultaneously worked to fill these positions, frequently selecting candidates with experience in criminal prosecution or immigration enforcement. Many of the 77 newly appointed permanent judges, who will work in approximately half the states, have similar enforcement experience.
According to the Justice Department, its immigration review office has appointed 153 permanent immigration judges during the 2026 fiscal year that started October 1, marking the highest annual total on record.
The five temporary judges come from military backgrounds and can serve for up to six months. The Pentagon announced in September that military and civilian attorneys working for the U.S. Defense Department under the leadership of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would take on temporary immigration judge roles.
The Justice Department identifies clearing the immigration court backlog as a top priority. Officials report that pending cases in immigration courts have dropped from approximately 4 million to less than 3.53 million since Trump assumed office.
