{"id":2573823,"date":"2026-02-26T07:58:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-second-year-immigration-agenda-to-prioritize-detention-and-court\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T08:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T13:02:57","slug":"trumps-second-year-immigration-agenda-to-prioritize-detention-and-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-second-year-immigration-agenda-to-prioritize-detention-and-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s second-year immigration agenda to prioritize detention and court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-second-year-immigration-agenda-to-prioritize-detention-and-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573823&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the piece explains that the Trump administration is overhauling the U.S. immigration court system with the aim of speeding up asylum decisions and deportations, potentially as early as 2026. It notes a massive backlog of cases\u2014rising from 325,000 in 2012 to a peak of about 3.5 million in 2024, with 3.3 million by the end of 2024, including roughly 2.3 million asylum cases. Officials and analysts foresee that faster court processing will lead to more final orders and, ultimately, more deportations. The administration has also moved to shorten appeals and shorten time in the system.<\/p>\n<p>key changes include leveraging military lawyers as immigration judges. The Justice Department\u2019s EOIR is recruiting War Department (JAG) attorneys to serve as \u201cdeportation judges,\u201d with up to 600 lawyers authorized to transfer and train for immigration work. So far, about 50 JAG lawyers have been hired on a temporary basis, and EOIR has received about 1,700 applications. Former immigration judge and retired marine Col. Daren Margolin has been tapped to oversee the courts, and training for these new judges is expected to be brief (6\u20138 weeks). The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >plan emphasizes master calendar hearings<\/a> to explain rights and streamline cases, leaving merits decisions to more senior judges. Critics warn that using military lawyers in civilian courts could raise constitutional issues (Posse Comitatus Act) and fairness concerns, arguing that newly hired judges may lack neutrality if they are explicitly oriented toward rapid removals.<\/p>\n<p>Additional context includes: despite the backlog, there was a dip in cases in 2024; 55 judges have been fired and about 80 retired, creating a need to expand the bench quickly. Analysts like Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies say the approach will increase denials and shorten proceedings, while others worry about neutrality and civilian-law implications. The article also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-rips-fifa-president-as-moral-degenerate-6\/\" title=\"Ukraine rips FIFA president as &#039;moral degenerate&#039;\">references broader political<\/a> and policy shifts, including efforts to limit immigration appeals and to accelerate removal processes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Why Trump&rsquo;s changes to immigration courts will &lsquo;absolutely&rsquo; ramp up deportations<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2489559\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President Donald Trump&rsquo;s mass <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/deportation\">deportation<\/a> operation is expected to ramp up in 2026 as newly hired <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/military\/\" id=\"266\">military<\/a> lawyers-turned-immigration judges hit the bench and begin expeditiously reviewing a massive backlog of cases.<\/p>\n<p>Speeding up the court process for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/immigration\">immigration<\/a> matters will, in turn, lead to faster decisions and more deportations, according to former immigration judge Andrew Arthur. At the same time, the Trump administration&rsquo;s new pick to oversee the immigration court system has moved to simplify the appeals process, reducing the options illegal immigrants have to appeal their deportation orders and shortening their time in the system.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4472396\/tom-homan-vatican-walls-pope-deportation-criticism\/\">Homan compares Vatican walls to US border in rebuke of pope&#8217;s deportation criticism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4471483\/kelly-ayotte-opposes-ice-plans-new-hampshire-dhs\/\">Republican governor opposes ICE plans to detain illegal immigrants in New Hampshire<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4470446\/state-of-the-union-trump-passage-delilah-law-illegal-immigrant-truck-drivers\/\">State of the Union: Trump urges passage of Dalilah&#8217;s Law to keep <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oklahoma-governor-warns-illegals-with-sanctuary-state-trucking-licenses-after-state-teams-up-with-ice-to-arrest-125\/\" title=\"Oklahoma Governor Warns Illegals with Sanctuary State Trucking Licenses After State Teams Up with ICE to Arrest 125\">illegal immigrant truck drivers<\/a> off US roads<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The Trump administration&rsquo;s first year focused on identifying who to arrest, making those arrests, and obtaining funding to expand detention capacity. Arthur anticipates the addition of dozens, even hundreds of judges, will &ldquo;absolutely&rdquo; speed up the process in 2026, setting up more people &mdash; both in custody and who do not show up to their court dates &mdash; to be deported and ultimately removed from the country.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The more people that you get into court, the more final orders you&rsquo;re going to get just based on people who don&rsquo;t show up,&rdquo; said Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy for the Center for Immigration Studies, an organization that advocates lower levels of immigration. &ldquo;And then, of course, you&rsquo;ll have more merits decisions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For years, the Department of Justice&rsquo;s Executive Office of Immigration Review, where the immigration court is housed, has played an impossible numbers game as its hundreds of immigration judges tried to wade through millions of court cases involving noncitizens.<\/p>\n<p>The number of cases before the court has surged since the first term of the Obama administration. In fiscal 2012, 325,000 cases were on the docket. The number of pending cases remained under 1 million until 2019, the middle of Trump&rsquo;s first term. Total cases rose over the next few years but peaked at 3.5 million in 2024. <\/p>\n<p>That figure has begun to come down in Trump&rsquo;s first year in office, finishing calendar year 2024 with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/tracreports.org\/phptools\/immigration\/backlog\/\">3.3 million<\/a> cases, including 2.3 million from people seeking asylum, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/tracreports.org\/immigration\/quickfacts\/eoir.html\">according to<\/a> the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which analyzes government data.<\/p>\n<p>Asylum is a protection that people arriving at the U.S. border may apply for to avoid being forced to return home. Asylum-seekers must demonstrate that they have suffered or fear they will be persecuted due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, if deported.<\/p>\n<p>As of last March, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/austinkocher.substack.com\/p\/immigration-judges-closed-and-denied\">more than 3-in-4<\/a> asylum claims were being denied by judges, the highest level in two decades.<\/p>\n<p>Austin Kocher, an independent immigration data researcher formerly associated with TRAC, explained at the time that the first step for Trump in overhauling the immigration courts and deciding cases would be speeding up those decisions and ensuring more denials from judges.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Between explicit policy changes and implicit threats to&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/04\/22\/nx-s1-5372681\/trump-immigration-judges-fired\">get in line or get fired<\/a>, judges on the whole seem to be following orders to&nbsp;<em>deny, deny, deny<\/em>,&rdquo; Kocher wrote in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/austinkocher.substack.com\/p\/immigration-judges-closed-and-denied\">post<\/a>. &ldquo;The Trump administration, which resumed in January 2025, appears to be fast-tracking asylum decisions with the clear goal of clearing the docket by simply denying as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In that time, 55 judges have been fired and 80 others opted to retire, according to an <em>Axios<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/02\/24\/trump-deportation-judges-margolin\">report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That has left the Trump administration with the challenge of adding more judges, but rather than go through the lengthy hiring process, the administration found another way to grow that bench. The administration moved in 2025 to shift War Department attorneys in the Judge Advocate General Corps to EOIR to quickly learn immigration law and begin deciding the fates of the millions of people with cases on the docket.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration published a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org\/blog\/trump-appoints-military-lawyers-to-serve-as-immigration-judges\/\">rule<\/a> last August that approved up to 600 JAG lawyers being sent over to EOIR to work as immigration judges.<\/p>\n<p>Former immigration judge, retired Marine Corps Col. Daren Margolin, was tapped to oversee the immigration courts.<\/p>\n<p>To date, Margolin <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/02\/24\/trump-deportation-judges-margolin\">told<\/a> <em>Axios<\/em>, the EOIR has received 1,700 applications from the general public in response to its public relations campaign to recruit &ldquo;deportation judges,&rdquo; a messaging twist that departs from the term &ldquo;immigration judges.&rdquo; Margolin has hired 50 JAG lawyers on a temporary basis, but plans to hire more.<\/p>\n<p>The JAG lawyers will receive 6 to 8 weeks of immigration law training, which Arthur said went beyond the three total weeks of training he had received for the job years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Margolin hopes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-escalates-call-for-shutdown-fight-with-sweeping-border-demands-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump escalates call for shutdown fight with sweeping border demands - Washington Examiner\">limit immigrants&#038;rsquo<\/a>; ability to appeal unfavorable decisions, which would lead to faster deportations for those ordered to be removed.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Charles Kuck, a former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association who has represented more than 700 asylum-seekers,&nbsp;pointed out two issues with bringing in JAG attorneys, as well as hiring people who understand that their job will be to serve as &ldquo;deportation judges.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>First, Kuck wrote in a text message, using the military as judges violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the military from conducting civilian law enforcement. Second, Kuck insisted that the judge applicants &ldquo;are not neutral,&rdquo; adding that the existing judges who were neutral had already been fired.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/national-security\/4469150\/us-unable-fight-every-drone-threat-fifa-world-cup\/\">U.S. UNABLE TO &lsquo;FIGHT EVERY DRONE THREAT&rsquo; AT FIFA WORLD CUP GAMES: OFFICIAL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Arthur said it would be wise to have the newly hired JAG lawyers focus on &ldquo;master calendar&rdquo; hearings, where a judge explains rights and responsibilities to the defendant, and leave it to more senior judges to handle merits cases, where claims are heard and decided.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You can have 20, 30 master calendars [sic] per day, and so actually getting those cases on track, getting them ready for a merits hearing for an asylum application or just an application, or something like that, that would be a huge help, because that would actually free up the other, more experienced judges to actually resolve the merits cases,&rdquo; Arthur said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The article argues that Trump\u2019s changes to immigration courts are likely to speed up deportations, beginning in 2026, by bringing in dozens to hundreds of military lawyers who will act as immigration judges and by expediting review of a large backlog. Faster hearings should yield quicker decisions and more removals, according to supporters like former immigration judge Andrew Arthur. The administration has also moved to simplify the appeals process, reducing options for illegal entrants to contest deportations and shortening time in the system.<\/p>\n<p>Key context: EOIR\u2019s caseload has ballooned since Obama\u2019s era, peaking at about 3.5 million cases in 2024 and finishing that year with roughly 3.3 million, including about 2.3 million asylum cases. Asylum denial rates reached around three\u2011quarters by last March\u2014the highest in two decades. Critics say the push to speed denials is evident in policy changes and warnings to judges to \u201cdeny, deny, deny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Implementation details and concerns: In 2025 the administration moved to shift hundreds of War Department JAG lawyers into EOIR to serve as immigration judges, with a rule allowing up to 600 such lawyers. About 1,700 people applied to join this recruitment drive, 50 have been hired so far, and training has been expanded from roughly three weeks to 6\u20138 weeks. Margolin aims to limit appeals to accelerate deportations, while some observers, including Charles Kuck, warn this could raise constitutional issues (Posse Comitatus Act) and undermine neutrality since existing neutral judges were purportedly removed. Arthur suggests using the new JAG judges mainly for master calendar hearings to set cases up for merits decisions, thereby freeing more experienced judges to handle merits and potentially speed up removals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2573824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/d3e8f87d9691c88661b767bc8de06d6c-scaled-e1772049941302.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[3815,10123,5485,3813,3634],"class_list":["post-2573823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-agenda","tag-courts","tag-detention","tag-immigration","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/d3e8f87d9691c88661b767bc8de06d6c-scaled-e1772049941302.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573823"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573827,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573823\/revisions\/2573827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}