Story perspectives

Justice Dept. Hires Record Immigration Judges, Cuts Backlog

5/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Justice Department hired the largest-ever class of immigration judges, calling the positions “deportation judges.”
Seventy-seven permanent and five temporary judges were sworn in in Washington, D.C., raising the total to nearly 700.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the hires reflect President Donald Trump’s decisive leadership on border security.
The department reported that the immigration court backlog fell from about four million cases to roughly 3.5 million since January 2025.

History

Historical Context

In April 1997 the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, expanded removal procedures and introduced expedited removal (1996-97). The law’s tougher standards pushed annual deportations to over 180,000 per year and swelled immigration-court backlogs. In 2025 the Justice Department’s hiring of 77 permanent and five temporary judges aims to cut the now 3.5-million-case backlog.

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Story summary

The Justice Department hired the largest-ever class of immigration judges, calling the positions “deportation judges.”
Seventy-seven permanent and five temporary judges were sworn in in Washington, D.C., raising the total to nearly 700.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the hires reflect President Donald Trump’s decisive leadership on border security.
The department reported that the immigration court backlog fell from about four million cases to roughly 3.5 million since January 2025.

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