The United States Department of Justice under Donald Trump announced what officials described as a record expansion of the nation’s immigration court system, as the administration pushes to reduce massive case backlogs and accelerate deportation proceedings.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review said on May 21 that it had sworn in 77 immigration judges and five temporary immigration judges during an investiture ceremony held the previous day in the DOJ’s Great Hall in Washington.
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According to EOIR, the group represents the largest class of new immigration adjudicators in the agency’s history.
The additions bring the total number of immigration judges nationwide to nearly 700.
EOIR also said it has hired 153 permanent immigration judges thus far during fiscal year 2026, marking the highest annual total ever recorded by the agency.
“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,” said Acting Attorney General
Todd Blanche in a statement.
“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,” he added.
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“I also applaud EOIR’s leadership team for helping facilitate these hiring efforts and recruiting highly qualified and talented personnel in record time,” Blanche said.
DOJ added in a statement:
EOIR said it swore in 77 immigration judges and 5 temporary immigration judges, calling the class the largest group of new adjudicators in the agency’s history. The release says the additions grow the immigration judge corps to nearly 700 and bring EOIR to 153 permanent immigration-judge hires in fiscal year 2026, the highest single-year total the agency has recorded.
The investiture was held May 20, 2026, in the Department of Justice’s Great Hall in Washington Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and EOIR Director Daren Margolin delivered remarks, and Chief Immigration Judge Teresa Riley administered the oath of office.
Blanche said the Trump administration is reestablishing an immigration judge corps dedicated to restoring the rule of law in the nation’s immigration system. He credited President Trump’s decisive leadership and commitment to securing the border for making the record class possible.
EOIR also said reducing the immigration court backlog remains one of its highest priorities. Since January 20, 2025, the agency says it has completed more than 1.08 million cases and reduced the pending caseload by more than 447,000 cases, bringing it from approximately 4 million to under 3.53 million.
When Trump took office, the pending immigration court caseload was approximately 4 million cases. The EOIR has since reduced that number to under 3.53 million, having completed more than 1.08 million cases in the process.
The Trump administration’s massive expansion of the immigration judge corps is aimed squarely at accelerating deportation cases and unclogging an immigration court system that had been buried under years of backlog and delay.
Immigration judges play a central role in enforcement because many deportations cannot legally proceed until removal cases are formally decided in court.
By dramatically increasing the number of judges, the administration is attempting to convert immigration enforcement priorities into actual deportation outcomes instead of endless procedural limbo.
The broader goal is reducing the crushing case backlog that has overwhelmed immigration courts nationwide.
.@DOJ_EOIR Announces 77 Immigration Judges and 5 Temporary Immigration Judges: LARGEST CLASS IN AGENCY’S HISTORY
“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… pic.twitter.com/JRSIMZuNiF
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) May 21, 2026
Administration officials tied the hiring surge directly to Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, arguing that increasing court capacity is essential if federal immigration laws are going to be enforced consistently instead of collapsing under bureaucratic paralysis and years-long delays.
“That still leaves a massive amount of work, but it also shows measurable movement in a system that had been buried under years of delay,” the Western Journal reported.
“For President Trump’s immigration agenda, the court capacity is not a side issue; it is one of the mechanics that determines whether enforcement can actually happen,” the outlet added.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
