Four Indian American jurists have been appointed as immigration judges to help address the backlog in U.S. immigration courts, as announced by the Trump administration.
Four Indian American jurists are among 42 new immigration judges appointed by the Trump administration in an effort to alleviate the significant backlog in immigration courts across the country. The appointments come as part of a broader initiative to enhance the efficiency of the immigration system amid ongoing enforcement measures against illegal immigration.
Dimple Gupta, Anupriya Krishna, Revathi Muneer, and Akash B. Vyas were sworn in by Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 11, according to a release from the Justice Department. Bondi emphasized the administration’s commitment to prioritizing the reduction of the immigration court backlog, stating, “This Department of Justice has made reducing the immigration court backlog a top priority. Under the Trump Administration, immigration judges will decide cases based on the law – not politics.”
Since January 20, 2025, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has reportedly reduced the backlog by over 380,000 cases, reflecting the administration’s focus on streamlining immigration proceedings.
Each of the newly appointed judges brings a wealth of experience to their roles. Dimple Gupta will serve at the Annandale Immigration Court. She previously held the position of deputy general counsel at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from April 2025 to January 2026. Prior to that, she was an attorney with the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of General Counsel from January 2020 to April 2025. Gupta also served as senior counsel to the director of EOIR from April 2019 to January 2020. She is a member of both the District of Columbia Bar and the Massachusetts Bar, holding a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
Anupriya Krishna will be based at the Sterling Immigration Court. She has extensive experience with EOIR, having served as an associate general counsel in Falls Church, Virginia, from January 2025 to February 2026. Prior to that, she worked at EOIR’s Board of Immigration Appeals from May 2019 to January 2025. Krishna is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar and has earned a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University, a Juris Doctor from Cleveland State University, and a Master of Laws from George Washington University Law School.
Revathi Muneer will serve at the Houston, Jefferson Street Immigration Court. She previously worked as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco from 2024 to 2026. Muneer has also held various roles within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2002 to 2022, including asylum officer and supervisory asylum officer. She is a member of the State Bar of California and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law.
Akash B. Vyas will be stationed at the Chicago Immigration Court. He has served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 2024 to February 2026. Vyas previously worked as an assistant state’s attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago from November 2007 to December 2023. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar and earned a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
The appointments of these four jurists reflect the ongoing efforts to enhance the judicial framework within the U.S. immigration system, aiming to address the challenges posed by the existing backlog of cases. According to The American Bazaar, the new judges are expected to play a crucial role in the adjudication of immigration cases moving forward.