Overview
- The Justice Department swore in 77 permanent immigration judges and five temporary judges on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, calling the cohort the largest class in the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s history.
- EOIR says it has hired 153 permanent judges so far in fiscal year 2026, a push that brings the judge corps back to nearly 700 after the administration removed more than 100 judges over the past year.
- Many new appointees previously worked as ICE lawyers, federal prosecutors, or military judge advocates, a hiring pattern that shifts the bench toward enforcement experience rather than defense or immigration advocacy roles.
- DOJ cites operational results to justify the effort, saying EOIR has completed more than 1.08 million cases and cut the pending caseload by roughly 447,000 since January 20, 2025, to under 3.53 million.
- Critics and former judges warn that the mass removals, enforcement-focused hires, and recent DOJ directives limiting asylum grants and bond could undermine judicial independence, reduce access to relief, and prompt legal challenges that affect migrants’ lives.