In an effort to tackle the burgeoning backlog in immigration courts, the Trump administration is embarking on a nationwide campaign to significantly increase the number of deportation judges. This initiative comes as the administration intensifies its immigration enforcement strategy beyond border operations and into the judicial system.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stepped up its efforts to publicize the recruitment drive, urging qualified Americans to apply for positions within the Justice Department (DOJ) that preside over removal proceedings. Administration officials have portrayed this campaign as crucial to reviving an immigration system they claim has been hampered by prolonged delays, misuse, and sporadic enforcement.
The DOJ has updated its hiring portal to highlight the significant authority and impact of deportation judges. According to DOJ descriptions, these judges are tasked with determining whether individuals residing in the country illegally can remain in the United States or must be deported under federal law. Salaries for these roles are listed between approximately $160,000 and $207,000 annually, with additional incentives for assignments in high-cost metropolitan areas like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston, as reported by Newsmax.
Despite DHS's role in promoting the initiative, immigration judges fall under the jurisdiction of the DOJ's Executive Office for Immigration Review, not DHS. Their duties include overseeing removal cases, asylum claims, and other immigration-related legal proceedings. Federal hiring guidelines mandate that applicants must be licensed attorneys with substantial legal or judicial experience—a requirement that DOJ officials say mirrors the administration's dedication to due process amid heightened enforcement.
The push to recruit more judges is a response to the unprecedented backlog in immigration courts, which is increasingly recognized as a stumbling block to efficient enforcement. Data from Syracuse University's TRAC Immigration project indicates that over one million immigration cases are pending across the nation, with many unresolved for years. The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly identified a shortage of judges as a key factor in these delays, cautioning that enforcement actions alone cannot address the backlog.
Conservative policymakers have voiced concerns that court delays render deportation orders ineffective, as illegal aliens continue to reside in the country indefinitely. Research by the Congressional Research Service supports this view, noting that increases in enforcement without a proportional expansion of judicial capacity often exacerbate processing delays, turning immigration courts into a bottleneck rather than an instrument of accountability.
This recruitment drive follows a larger expansion of DHS enforcement operations, bolstered by a significant funding increase. DHS received an additional $75 billion and has since initiated ambitious hiring campaigns across various agencies. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reported that the department received over 175,000 applications for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer positions, with more than 1,200 new agents already deployed under the "Defend the Homeland" initiative. ICE applications have now exceeded 220,000, with the agency on track to recruit 10,000 new officers by the end of 2025. Other agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard have also witnessed unprecedented spikes in applications, as per departmental statements.
As staffing for enforcement swells, officials have increasingly recognized the need for immigration courts to keep pace. DOJ oversight findings and GAO reports have pinpointed immigration judges as a crucial bottleneck, warning that enforcement without judicial capacity could weaken removals and diminish public trust in the system.
Public opinion appears to back the administration's strategy. Surveys from Gallup and the Pew Research Center consistently show that a majority of Americans support expedited removals for illegal aliens who do not qualify for legal relief, while expressing discontent with protracted court delays and perceived exploitation of asylum claims. Administration officials insist that the addition of deportation judges is not about bypassing due process but rather reinstating it. By enhancing court capacity, they contend, legitimate claims can be processed more swiftly, while baseless cases are rejected without extensive holdups.
With enforcement now extending both on the ground and in the courtroom, the administration views the deportation judge recruitment effort as a crucial step in reforming immigration policy—one that ensures immigration law is upheld not only at the border but also through a judicial system equipped to maintain the necessary throughput.
