Trump Administration Appoints Immigration Judges With Enforcement Backgrounds

The Justice Department has appointed 42 new immigration judges, many with backgrounds in immigration enforcement, as the administration of Donald Trump moves to reshape the immigration court system by filling its ranks with officials it considers aligned with stricter deportation policies.

The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review said the new class of judges was sworn in on Wednesday to serve in immigration courts across 17 states, including California, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Texas.

The appointments form part of a wider effort by the administration to bring immigration courts more closely in line with its enforcement-focused immigration agenda, replacing judges who were removed or left their posts with appointees largely drawn from prosecution roles or immigration enforcement.

Immigration judges do not belong to the federal judiciary but operate within the Justice Department. The administration has argued that the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi have constitutional authority to remove immigration judges as inferior officers.

The 42 appointments come in addition to 20 permanent hires announced since October. The department has also recruited dozens of temporary judges, many with military backgrounds, who can serve for up to six months, after more than 100 judges were removed since Trump took office last year.

Some of the latest appointees also have military experience, though many previously served as prosecutors or immigration enforcement lawyers.

More than a third earlier worked on immigration matters at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including several who came directly from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement where they worked as government attorneys.

The new judges are expected to replace at least 104 immigration judges dismissed since January 2025, along with a similar number who accepted buyouts, resigned or retired from a total bench of roughly 700 judges, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges.

The recruitment drive comes as immigration courts face a backlog of about 3.2 million cases as of December 31, according to data from Mobile Pathways, which tracks immigration court statistics and access to justice for migrants.

The Justice Department has said reducing the backlog is a top priority and that the new appointments will help accelerate case decisions.

Among the new judges is Kieran Lalor, who will serve at the Ulster Immigration Court in New York. While serving as a Republican member of the New York Assembly, Lalor publicly supported stricter immigration policies aligned with the Trump administration’s approach.

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