Close
Updated:

DOJ Hires 36 New Immigration Judges After Major Exodus

by

This week, the Justice Department announced that it has hired 36 new immigration judges — 11 permanent and 25 temporary — for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a key agency that handles immigration court proceedings in deportation cases.

What’s happening?

The hiring comes after several months of layoffs among immigration judges occurring earlier this year. In the past 10 months, EOIR fired more than 125 judges, causing delays in immigration court proceedings across the country.

The courts in Massachusetts and Illinois were among the most affected by these departures. The good news is these newly hired judges will begin serving across 16 states nationwide.

Who are the new judges?

  • The permanent hires largely come from federal‑government backgrounds: some from EOIR itself, some from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and others who previously trained agents or worked as asylum officers.
  • The temporary hires include military attorneys drawn from the Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Army.
  • These changes accompany a modification in DOJ policy that lowers the qualification requirements for temporary judges—prior immigration law experience is no longer mandatory.

Why this matters

Immigration judges play a crucial role: they issue final removal orders, revoke green cards, and decide cases where individuals are deported.

The backlog in immigration courts is severe — vacancies have exacerbated delays, with some cases being scheduled as far out as 2029.

Bottom Line

This is a significant step by the DOJ to fill vacancies in immigration courts after a period of mass layoffs. While it’s a positive move toward reducing delays and restoring capacity, backlogs reaching into the millions will remain a major challenge for individuals navigating the removal process.

Contact Us. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.

Helpful Links

JOIN OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP

Need more immigration updates? We have created a new facebook group to address the impact of the new executive orders and other changing developments. Follow us there!