Feb 5 – The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday announced the appointment of 33 new immigration judges, most with military backgrounds, as the Trump administration moves to rebuild the courts after removing more than 100 judges since returning to office.
27 are temporary judges who can serve for up to six months, while the remainder are permanent appointments, the department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review said. The judges were sworn in on Thursday and will be deployed to courts across Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
The hiring follows an earlier round in October when 36 immigration judges were brought on after months of workforce reductions. Justice Department spokesperson said the new appointments were aimed at restoring the confidence in the immigration system which was previously weakened under the previous administration.
In September the Pentagon said that military and civilian attorneys who are working under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would be temporarily reassigned to immigration courts so that they can help address staffing shortages. More than 100 judges out of about 700 nationwide have been fired or pushed out since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
The policy changes have also sharply altered how migrants are truly treated while their cases move forward. Thousands of people who previously qualified for bond have rather been placed in certain mandatory detention following a September ruling by the Board of Immigration, Appeals that reinterpreted a key immigration statute. The proposal would shorten the window to appeal an immigration judge’s decision to 10 days and give the appeals board broader authority to dismiss cases which will further speed up removals and the changes are meant to streamline the system. Immigration advocates also warn that they could limit due process for migrants who are already navigating an overwhelmed court system.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-names-33-new-immigration-judges-most-with-military-2026-02-05/