OAN Staff Jenna Lee and Brooke Mallory
11:50 AM – Thursday, May 21, 2026
In an expansion of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday the onboarding of 82 federal immigration judges, the largest single class of adjudicators in the agency’s history.
The investiture of 77 permanent and 5 temporary judges exemplifies a strategic push by the Trump administration to overhaul the immigration court system, replacing over one hundred previously ousted judges with new appointees tasked with dramatically expediting deportation proceedings.
This latest cohort brings the administration’s total to 153 permanent immigration judges hired since fiscal year 2026 began in October 2025, setting a new record for judicial appointments within a single fiscal year as the administration aggressively scales up its enforcement mandate to tackle the nation’s multi-million case backlog.
“Today, we are onboarding the largest immigration judge class in agency history. This could only happen thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership and commitment to securing our borders,” said Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche in a statement.
The record-setting expansion of the immigration court system serves as a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s strategy to restore operational efficiency and streamline the removal of illegal aliens.
This massive onboarding follows a systematic restructuring of the Executive Office for Immigration Review over the past year, during which the Justice Department cleared out backlogs and misaligned personnel.
When President Trump returned to office in January 2025, the judicial corps stood at over 700 judges. That roster dipped below 600 by early 2026 after the administration strategically separated from at least 115 judges, alongside an equal number of departures through buyouts, resignations, and standard retirements.
By replacing legacy personnel with this highly qualified new class — dominated by experienced criminal prosecutors and immigration enforcement veterans — officials are restoring the total bench to roughly 700 members better equipped to execute the administration’s hardline mandate.
This proactive judicial surge has already proven highly effective in advancing the Justice Department’s chief priority of dismantling the long-standing court backlog. According to official agency data, the pending caseload has already plummeted from an inherited high of roughly 4 million cases to under 3.53 million cases in just over a year of the second Trump term.
In a statement, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday that the Trump administration is “committed to reestablishing an immigration judge corps that is dedicated to restoring the rule to the law in our nation’s immigration system.”
“This could only happen thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership and commitment to securing our borders,” Blanche added.
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