The Pentagon will send up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges, doubling the current bench to ease a backlog of 3.5 million cases.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the deployment of up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to an Aug. 27 memo reviewed by The Associated Press.
The plan calls for groups of 150 attorneys military and civilian to be sent “as soon as practicable,” with the first wave identified by next week. Their terms will last up to 179 days, renewable if necessary. The Justice Department requested the assistance to address a massive backlog of 3.5 million immigration cases.
The move comes after more than 100 immigration judges were fired or resigned, including 17 dismissed “without cause,” according to the judges’ union. That left roughly 600 judges nationwide, meaning the Pentagon’s contribution could double their ranks.
A White House official said resolving the backlog should be “a priority that everyone including those waiting for adjudication can rally around.”