Trump Admin Adds Largest Class of Immigration Judges Ever

The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump announced a historic expansion of the nation’s immigration court system, a major move aimed at reducing the massive case backlog and turning immigration enforcement into faster legal action.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review said 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.

According to EOIR, the class represents the largest group of new immigration adjudicators in the agency’s history.

The new additions bring the total number of immigration judges nationwide to nearly 700.

EOIR also said it has hired 153 permanent immigration judges so far during fiscal year 2026, the highest annual total the agency has ever recorded.

For President Trump’s administration, the move is not simply bureaucratic expansion. It is a key part of restoring enforcement capacity to an immigration system overwhelmed by years of delay, weak oversight and political resistance to border security.

“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.

“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 ceremony took place May 20, 2026. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and EOIR Director Daren Margolin delivered remarks, while Chief Immigration Judge Teresa Riley administered the oath of office.

Blanche said the Trump administration is rebuilding an immigration judge corps focused on restoring the rule of law in the nation’s immigration system. He also credited President Trump’s leadership and commitment to securing the border for making the record-setting class possible.

The hiring surge comes as EOIR says 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.

When President Trump took office for his second term, the pending immigration court caseload stood at approximately 4 million cases. EOIR says that number has now dropped to under 3.53 million.

That still leaves a massive workload, but the figures show measurable progress inside a system that had been buried under years of delay.

Immigration courts play a central role in enforcement because many deportation cases cannot legally move forward until removal proceedings are decided. Without enough judges, even strong enforcement policies can get trapped in procedural gridlock.

By dramatically increasing the number of judges, the Trump administration is working to convert immigration priorities into actual deportation outcomes instead of allowing cases to sit unresolved for years.

The broader objective is clear: reduce the backlog, restore order and ensure federal immigration law is enforced instead of being weakened by bureaucratic paralysis.

Administration officials tied the record hiring push directly to President Trump’s broader immigration agenda, arguing that court capacity is essential if the country is serious about securing the border and removing those who have no legal right to remain in the United States.

For conservatives, the announcement reflects a long-overdue recognition that border security does not end at the border. It also requires courts capable of processing cases quickly, fairly and consistently.

“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.

The Trump administration’s message is straightforward: immigration law must mean something, and the federal government must have the personnel to enforce it.

With nearly 700 immigration judges now in place and the largest judge class in EOIR history sworn in, the administration is moving aggressively to repair a court system that had become a bottleneck for enforcement.

The backlog remains large, but the direction is changing.

After years of delay, the immigration court system is being rebuilt around a simple principle: the rule of law must be restored.