More than 80 new immigration judges appointed as Trump push for faster deportations: Report

The Trump administration has added more than 80 new federal immigration judges as part of its efforts to speed up deportation proceedings and tighten immigration enforcement across the United States, CBS News reports.

The Department of Justice, the newsletter reports, this week swore in 77 permanent immigration judges and five temporary judges, marking the group as the largest class of immigration judges in the department’s history.

The move comes as President Donald Trump renews his push for mass deportations and tighter immigration controls during his second term.

What do immigration judges do?

Immigration judges oversee cases involving stateless persons who are at risk of removal from the United States. Their decisions determine whether immigrants can stay in the country, are eligible for asylum or other assistance, or must be deported.

According to the news website, despite their title, immigration judges are not part of the independent federal judiciary. Instead, they work under the Department of Justice’s executive branch, which runs immigration courts across the country.

Why is the Trump administration expanding the number of judges?

The administration’s immigration strategy relies heavily on immigration courts because many migrants cannot be deported until judges issue a formal removal order.

CBS News reported that the Trump administration is seeking to overhaul the immigration court system to speed up deportations and reduce delays.

The government says the addition of judges will help deal with an enormous backlog of immigration cases that has grown over the past several years due to rising asylum claims and illegal border crossings.

Why was the number of immigration judges reduced earlier?

The new appointments follow the removal of more than 100 immigration judges over the past year, including many appointed during former President Joe Biden’s administration, CBS News reports.

Some former judges reportedly believed they were fired because they were not aggressive enough in supporting deportations or because of previous work representing or advocating for immigrants.

When Trump took office, the Justice Department had more than 700 immigration judges. Earlier this year, that number reportedly fell below 600 before the latest wave of recruitment.

Officials said the new class will help bring the staff closer to 700 judges.

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What other immigration court changes has the administration made?

Over the past year, the Department of Justice has implemented guidelines and precedential decisions limiting the authority of judges in immigration cases.

These changes reportedly include restrictions on:

-Approval of additional immigration protections

-Releasing detainees from ICE custody on bail

Who are the newly appointed judges?

News reports said that many of the new judges had previously worked as:

-Military officers or judge advocates

Others served as state or local judges or practiced law privately.

Todd Blanche mentions border security goals

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the recruitment effort in a statement cited by CBS News.

“This could only happen because of President Trump’s decisive leadership and commitment to securing our borders,” Blanche said.

He added that the administration is: “committed to restoring a body of immigration judges dedicated to restoring the rule of law in our nation’s immigration system.”

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