Trump officials hire new immigration judges with less training and experience

The Justice Department is moving quickly to expand the immigration courts, hiring new judges and temporary judges even as critics say the process is bringing in less experienced people with shorter training.

The Washington Post reported on April 27 that the administration has fired more than 100 immigration judges and replaced them with newer hires, some with less immigration-law experience. The report said the new class included temporary judges and that training has been reduced compared with prior groups.

The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review announced on April 8 that it had hired 15 immigration judges and 17 temporary immigration judges. In that announcement, EOIR said the recruits had undergone a robust training program and would serve in courts across multiple states.

Earlier this year, Reuters reported that the department had hired 42 new immigration judges, many with enforcement backgrounds, as part of a broader deportation push. A separate DOJ job posting for immigration judge said applicants must have active bar membership and qualifying post-licensure litigation or adjudication experience.

The hiring drive matters because immigration judges decide whether migrants can remain in the United States or are ordered removed. Supporters of the expansion say it helps clear backlogs, while critics argue that faster hiring and shorter training could affect the quality and consistency of rulings.

Questions remain about how many of the new hires are temporary judges, how broad the shorter training applies, and whether EOIR will release a fuller breakdown of the judges’ backgrounds.