The Defense Department will send 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges to resolve millions of backlogged cases, according to a memo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo on Aug. 27 which declared a first tranche of 150 lawyers will be sent to the DOJ “as soon as practicable” in order to resolve immigration cases which have a backlog of 3.5 million cases.
It is not clear when the remaining 450 attorneys will be sent on their domestic mission.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to a recent memo. AFP via Getty Images
The helping-hand comes at the request of the Justice Department, and will be in effect for at least 179 days with the chance for renewal at the end of that term.
There are currently roughly 600 immigration judges adjudicating the massive backlog of cases —- meaning the Defense Department influx would double the ranks of the DOJ roster of immigration attorneys.
A White House official told the Associated Press that resolving immigration cases should be “a priority that everyone — including those waiting for adjudication — can rally around.”
The shuffling comes on the heels of the Trump administration being temporarily blocked from swiftly deporting illegal migrants from the US.
The effort comes as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration across the country, ramping up arrests and deportations. AP
DC-based District Judge Jia Cobb, a Biden appointee, stated that migrants living in the country illegally for less than two years need to be afforded due process as the Trump administration seeks to qualify this group for expedited removal.
“This activist judge’s ruling ignores the President’s clear authorities under both Article II of the Constitution and the plain language of federal law,” a Department of Homeland Security official told The Post at the time of the ruling.
“President Trump has a mandate to arrest and deport the worst of the worst. We have the law, facts, and common sense on our side.”