Pentagon to Send Military Lawyers to Address Immigration Court Backlog
In a move to address the burgeoning backlog of immigration cases, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from the Justice Department to deploy up to 600 military and civilian lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges.
The decision, outlined in a memo aims to significantly increase the capacity of the nation’s immigration courts, which are currently grappling with a backlog of approximately 3.5 million cases.
The deployment will begin “as soon as practicable,” with the first group of 150 attorneys expected to be identified by next week.
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The effort is a direct response to a massive and growing backlog that a wave of recent departures and firings within the immigration judge corps has exacerbated. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the union representing immigration judges, reported in July that at least 17 judges had been fired “without cause” and others had voluntarily left after taking deferred resignations offered by the administration.
This has left the current number of immigration judges at around 600, according to union figures. The new deployment from the Pentagon will effectively double that number.
The memo specifies that the initial assignments will last no more than 179 days, but they are renewable. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen an increase in arrests and deportations nationwide.
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A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated to the Associated Press that the administration is “looking at a variety of options to help resolve the significant backlog of immigration cases, including hiring additional immigration judges.” The official described the matter as “a priority that everyone — including those waiting for adjudication — can rally around.”
The decision comes amid other notable deployments of military personnel by the Trump administration, including the recent use of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. The deployment of military lawyers to a civilian judicial role is an unusual step, highlighting the administration’s determination to address the immigration court crisis by any means necessary.
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