DOJ hires 33 new immigration judges after firing more than 100 experienced jurists

The Department of Justice hired 33 new immigration judges — six permanent and 27 temporary military lawyers on Pentagon assignment — while the Trump administration had previously fired over 100 immigration judges, reducing the bench by roughly one quarter. New hires were drawn primarily from ICE and DHS backgrounds rather than independent legal practice. The immigration court backlog had grown to nearly 4 million pending cases, and DOJ also lost over 400 legal assistants and attorney advisers from the Executive Office for Immigration Review.