Washington (AP) – Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses A memo reviewed by the Associated Press said it approved the dispatch of up to 600 military lawyers to the Department of Justice to serve as temporary immigration judges.
The military will begin sending a group of 150 lawyers (both military and civilians) to the Department of Justice “as much as possible” as they can, “begin to send them to the Department of Justice and “as soon as possible,” according to a memo dated August 27.
That effort will arise as the Trump administration cracks down on immigrants across the country and strengthens arrests and deportation. The Immigration Court has also dealt with a large backlog of around 3.5 million cases in recent years.
However, their union says that after carrying out the postponed resignation proposed by the administration, numerous immigrant judges were fired or voluntarily left. The International Federation of Professional Engineers of Technology said in July that at least 17 immigrant judges had been fired “without reason” in courts nationwide.
It left around 600 immigrant judges, and union figures mean the Pentagon move doubles their ranks.
The move was made at the request of the Department of Justice, and the memo noted that details initially continue within 179 days, but could become renewable.
When asked about the move, a DOJ spokesman introduced questions about the plan to Ministry of Defense. Pentagon officials directed the question White House.
White House officials said Tuesday that the administration is considering a variety of options that will help resolve a critical backlog of immigration cases, including additional employment. Immigration judge. Officials said the issue should be “a priority that allows everyone to come together, including those waiting for the ruling.”
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Associated Press authors Will Weissert, Rebecca Santana and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
