The Department of Homeland Security's recruitment effort now is focusing on adding deportation judges.
In a push aimed at speeding up removals and tightening enforcement, DHS is urging Americans to "be the judge" and apply to join the Justice Department as immigration judges — a role the administration is pitching as central to restoring integrity to a system conservatives say has been overwhelmed by fraud and years of lax enforcement.
"YOU BE THE JUDGE," DHS posted Tuesday on X. "Join @TheJusticeDept as a deportation judge to write the next chapter of America. Combat fraud and those who seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our immigration system."
The recruitment messaging mirrors a new Justice Department hiring page that frames the job in sweeping, nation-shaping terms.
"Help write the next chapter of America," the DOJ says. "Apply today to become a deportation judge."
The site lists a salary range of $159,951 to $207,500 per year, with a recruitment incentive of 25% of base pay for first-time federal employees placed in certain high-cost locations, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston-area postings, and multiple cities in California.
The hiring page explains judges would "preside over cases in federal Immigration Court and determine whether an alien has to leave the United States or gets to stay," while making "decisions with generational consequences."
It also highlights that the work includes ensuring "only aliens with legally meritorious claims are allowed to remain" and taking steps to "combat fraud" and stop those attempting to exploit weaknesses in immigration enforcement.
The push comes as the Trump administration is expanding DHS staffing and enforcement capacity following major funding increases and a national recruitment drive.
DHS, backed by a $75 billion funding boost, in late October pledged a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations after what officials describe as record-breaking applicant numbers.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agency had received more than 175,000 applications for ICE officer positions, with 1,200 to 1,500 new agents already deployed as part of the "Defend the Homeland" drive.
Thousands more were expected to hit the field soon, with DHS officials signaling a sharp focus on arresting and deporting criminal illegal aliens, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions.
That enforcement ramp-up has made immigration court capacity a major bottleneck and political flashpoint.
Conservatives have long argued that deportation orders are meaningless if court backlogs delay proceedings for years, allowing illegal aliens to remain in the country indefinitely.
Adding deportation judges, they say, is a practical way to accelerate removals while ensuring due process is applied and not endlessly delayed.
DHS has touted broad success in recruiting across multiple agencies.
In a Dec. 19 press release, the department said ICE has now received more than 220,000 applications since the campaign launched and is on track to hire 10,000 new officers by the end of 2025.
DHS also reported major increases in Customs and Border Protection hiring, along with record application surges for USCIS "Homeland Defenders," the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard.
The deportation-judge push is being framed as the next front in that effort, not only enforcing immigration law on the streets but also ensuring the court system can keep pace.