The newly appointed immigration court chief by President Donald Trump stated that the number of people residing illegally in the United States is far greater than official estimates, potentially reaching between 25 million and 30 million.

He emphasized the significance of this point as the administration's efforts to reduce the backlog of 3.6 million immigration court cases accelerate.

"The reality is, there will never be enough judges to handle more than 3.6 million cases, and I believe 25 to 30 million people are... in the country illegally," said Daren Margolin, Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), in an interview with Axios.

Margolin, a retired Marine Corps colonel, officially took charge of the Department of Justice agency that oversees the immigration court system in October.

In his interview with Axios, he revealed that he resigned from his immigration judge position in early 2024 due to his opposition to the Biden administration's handling of the surge of migrants at the southern border.

"I felt like I was personally complicit in treason," Margolin stated.

The next phase of the administration's large-scale deportation efforts is expected to focus on the immigration courts, where approximately 3.6 million cases are pending.

Since most cases result in final deportation orders, speeding up court rulings could enable U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out more deportations.

According to data provided to Axios, pending cases decreased by 341,006 from President Trump's inauguration last year until January 30.

One factor contributing to this was a reduction in new cases linked to a decrease in border crossings during President Trump's first year in office.

Margolin is also seeking to limit the appeal process for deportation orders, a move that could increase the number of individuals subject to expedited removal.

Following a public recruitment campaign for new immigration judges, the agency received approximately 1,700 applications. Margolin declined to comment on the number of applicants hired but indicated that the first group would begin their duties within days.

He also hired about 50 military reservists, who will undergo the same 6-8 week training as other new hires.

Prior to his role as EOIR director, Margolin served as deputy chief immigration judge in California from 2020 to 2024, and before that, he worked as associate chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Adelanto, California.

According to his Department of Justice profile, he served over 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, working as a military judge, prosecutor, appellate prosecutor, defense counsel, and staff judge advocate for various Marine Corps commands.

Official estimates for the undocumented immigrant population, including Department of Homeland Security data from 2022 and a Pew Research Center analysis from 2023, put the figure at about half of Margolin's estimate, Newsmax reported.

By NNP Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com