The US Justice Department is recruiting legal experts to serve as so-called 'deportation judges' as part of the Trump administration's efforts to intensify its immigration enforcement. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X: 'If you are a legal professional, the Trump Administration is calling on YOU to join @TheJusticeDept as a Deportation Judge to restore integrity and honour to our Nation's Immigration Court system.'
The Justice Department, which oversees the immigration court system, also published a recruitment advertisement stating that successful applicants can 'become a deportation judge' and 'define America for generations'. However, the official government application portal still lists the role as 'immigration judge'. The pay range is between $159,951 and $207,500, with additional cash incentives for those working in cities such as New York, Boston and San Francisco.
Immigrants and asylum seekers appear before an immigration judge for various reasons, including to argue for protection, obtain lawful permanent residence, or halt proceedings while pursuing other relief. Typically, individuals appear before a judge because they are contesting their removal from the country.
This year, the Trump administration has been removing immigration judges whose judicial philosophies do not align with its priorities. Some judges have also chosen to leave since President Donald Trump took office. To address the resulting backlog, the government began recruiting hundreds of military lawyers to serve as immigration judges after the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review relaxed rules in August to allow any lawyer to serve as a temporary immigration judge.
Two judges in New York were laid off—one had the highest asylum grant rate in the city, and the other had been an outspoken critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Further terminations occurred in San Francisco, Chicago and Boston, indicating that the Trump administration is targeting sanctuary cities.
