Justice Department Goes On Viral Deportation Judge Hiring Campaign

The Department of Justice is recruiting lawyers to become “deportation judges” with salaries up to $207,500 and a 25% signing bonus.

The agency’s recruitment website urges applicants to “help write the next chapter of America” by joining the immigration court system. The campaign offers positions at 70 locations nationwide with potential for remote work and full-time telework options.

First-time federal employees can receive the recruitment incentive if placed in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Sacramento or several other major cities, according to the DOJ website. (RELATED: DHS Says Newsom’s Office Playing ‘Word Games’ Over An Illegal Accused Of Killing An 11-Year-Old)

The posting calls on judges to “make decisions with generational consequences” and “ensure that only aliens with legally meritorious claims are allowed to remain.” It also asks applicants to “combat fraud” and “restore integrity and honor to our Nation’s Immigration Court system.”

The Trump Administration is fighting every day to solve the immigration crisis left by the prior administration. We’ve made historic progress – but there is more work to be done.

Become a deportation judge TODAY! Full-time and part-time options are available for patriotic…

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 8, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi promoted the campaign in an X post Monday.

“The Trump Administration is fighting every day to solve the immigration crisis left by the prior administration,” Bondi wrote. “We’ve made historic progress – but there is more work to be done.”

Bondi called for “patriotic lawyers” to apply and noted that both full-time and part-time options are available.

The recruitment push follows the Pentagon’s September announcement that it would deploy 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges. That move came after a DOJ rule change allowed temporary judges to take the bench without prior immigration law experience.

Immigration courts currently face more than 3 million pending cases. A White House official told the Associated Press the administration considers the backlog a “priority that everyone — including those waiting for adjudication — can rally around.”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.