(ConservativeHub.com) – Joe Biden has done everything in his power to dismantle former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. He sent an immigration bill to Congress on his first day in office and issued four executive actions regarding immigrants and refugees. That’s why his administration’s announcement regarding the selection of immigrant court judges is so stunning.
On Thursday, May 6, the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review announced the appointment of 17 new Immigration Judges. The appointments included an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge and six Unit Chiefs.
NEW: Biden fills immigration court with Trump hires, angers advocates https://t.co/YJoALN7meN pic.twitter.com/beGI5jgA3u
— The Hill (@thehill) May 8, 2021
The announcement stated that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made the appointments “after a thorough application process.” However, a Department of Justice spokesperson told The Hill that all 17 appointees “received their conditional offers under the [Trump] administration.”
It’s a stunning move for Biden, considering his deliberate efforts to take a wrecking ball to his predecessor’s immigration policies. Under Trump, the Justice Department filled about two-thirds of the more than 500 Immigration Judge positions. The Biden administration currently has the budget to hire an additional 100 Immigration Court judges. Immigration advocates had expected him to seek to rebalance the Court with judges favoring liberal positions.
Perhaps there’s some hope for meaningful immigration regulation after all. Time will tell.
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