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1 1 (March 2, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/govetsm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Executive Office for Immigration Review Immigration Judge Staffing Issues March 2, 2026 Immigration judge (IJ) staffing at the U.S. Department ofJustice's (DOJ's) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR; immigration courts) has long been insufficient to adjudicate its pending caseload and keep up with the receipt of new immigration cases, particularly removal proceedings, contributing to large backlogs in the immigration court system. These backlogs have been exacerbated by record-high case receipts in recent years. IUs, career employees within the executive branch, are attorneys appointed by the Attorney General. IJ hiring is largely contingent on congressional appropriations. EOIR had steadily increased IJ hiring and grown its IJ corps (i.e., total number of Is on staff) in recent years (Figure 1). In FY2023, EOIR hired 133 IUs, its largest annual number of hires. The IJ corps reached a high of 735 at the end of FY2024. Since FY2025, the IJ corps has declined, with substantially higher than typical levels of departures. Reportedly, some IUs have left EOIR under options for early retirement or deferred resignation while others have been fired. CRS estimates that 115 IUs separated from EOIR in FY2025, the highest annual number of separations since at least 2011 (see Figure 1 note for estimation methodology). In the first quarter of FY2026, 88 IUs departed EOIR. EOIR has continued to hire IUs (14 in FY2025 and 11 FY2026 Q1), but not at a level to restore its staffing to the previous level. By the end of FY2025, the IJ corps had declined to 634. At the end of the first quarter of FY2026, EOIR had 557 IUs on staff, down nearly one quarter (178 IUs) from the peak staffing level in FY2024. This number does not include temporary IUs (discussed below). The FY2025 reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21), appropriated $3.33 billion to DOJ for several purposes, including to hire IUs and support staff. The law authorizes EOIR for a staffing level of not more than 800 IUs, effective November 1, 2028. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12664 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress