The Department of Justice has inducted a record-breaking class of 82 immigration judges, including 77 full-time and five temporary appointees, as part of an unprecedented effort to address a significant backlog of over three million immigration cases. This group will primarily handle asylum claims across major U.S. cities such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and others.
Central to the DOJ’s recruitment campaign was an advertisement explicitly seeking so-called “deportation judges,” offering an attractive signing bonus for first-time federal workers. Salaries for the new judges range from $159,000 to $207,000. This recruitment push follows a sweeping removal of more than 100 immigration judges nationwide since the administration took office, including at least 14 from San Francisco alone. These firings have disproportionately impacted key immigration courts in major metropolitan areas, sparking uncertainty and unrest among the judicial workforce.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review, responsible for overseeing immigration courts, emphasized that immigration judges evaluate cases by considering all evidence and arguments, aiming for timely, impartial rulings consistent with legal standards. However, concerns have surfaced around this new cohort’s background and its potential effect on asylum decisions.
Legal experts such as Bill Hing, a law and migration professor, criticized the recruitment process and questioned the impartiality of judges who previously served as ICE prosecutors or military legal officers. He warned that this hiring strategy signals a shift toward systematically denying asylum requests in favor of expedited deportations. Similarly, Terrance Evans, president of the California Lawyers Association, expressed unease about whether these judges have undergone sufficient vetting to ensure their qualifications and understanding of immigration law and due process.
These developments come amid broader debates over immigration policy enforcement and the fairness of the judicial process for asylum seekers. The new judges’ integration will be closely watched as they begin tackling the substantial backlog that has long plagued the immigration court system.