The United States Justice Department has launched a controversial recruitment drive for so-called 'deportation judges', a move that signals a significant hardening of the Trump administration's immigration policy.
A Strategic Overhaul of the Immigration Court System
In an official post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem explicitly called for legal professionals to join the Department of Justice as Deportation Judges to 'restore integrity and honor to our Nation’s Immigration Court system'. This language marks a distinct shift in tone for the government's approach to immigration proceedings.
Simultaneously, the DoJ posted its own recruitment advertisement, inviting applicants to 'become a deportation judge' and 'define America for generations'. Notably, while these public-facing materials use the politically charged term 'deportation judge', the official government application portal maintains the traditional title of 'immigration judge'.
Purging Judges and Targeting Sanctuary Cities
This recruitment campaign forms part of a broader strategy that has seen the Trump administration systematically purge sitting immigration judges whose judicial philosophies clash with its enforcement priorities. This year, several judges have been removed from their posts, while others have chosen to leave since President Trump took office.
The purge appears strategically focused. In New York, for instance, two judges were laid off. One possessed the city's highest rate for granting asylum, while the other had been a vocal critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Similar terminations have occurred in other self-declared sanctuary cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston, suggesting a coordinated effort against jurisdictions limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Filling the Bench: Military Lawyers and a Backlogged System
The departure of experienced judges, combined with a pre-existing and severely backlogged court system, created an urgent need for new appointments. In response, the government initiated a separate drive to recruit hundreds of military lawyers to serve as immigration judges.
This was made possible after the DoJ's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) relaxed its rules in August, allowing any qualified lawyer to serve as a temporary immigration judge. The latest recruitment advertisement emphasises the power these new judges will wield, stating they will 'determine whether an alien has to leave the United States or gets to stay'.
The positions offer a substantial financial incentive, with a pay range of $159,951 to $207,500, as confirmed by Secretary Noem. An additional cash incentive is available for those taking posts in high-cost cities such as New York, Boston, and San Francisco.
