WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth The military has ordered the military to send dozens of lawyers to the Justice Department for a temporary mission that could last until next fall in Memphis and near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a memo released this week and seen by The Associated Press.
As special assistant to the U.S., Mr. Hegseth has directed the Justice Department to “identify a pool of 48 attorneys and four paralegals within the military who may be qualified in detail,” Hegseth wrote in a memo dated Monday sent to all four services and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The memo appears to be the latest effort to send military and civilian lawyers working for the Pentagon to the Justice Department, but this time to offices based along the U.S. southern border or in federally controlled locations. Immigration control operations are being carried out.
Last month, the Department of Defense also Authorizes deployment of up to 600 military lawyers In another endeavor, he was assigned to the Department of Justice as a temporary immigration judge. The Trump administration is increasingly using the military to crack down on immigration. Expanding to the southern border and American cities series.
The Justice Department has requested 20 attorneys to assist its Memphis office, according to a memo this week. National Guard was deployed By President Donald Trump. West Texas has 12 people, specifically the cities of El Paso, Del Rio and Midland, and Las Cruces, New Mexico has three lawyers and two paralegals.
The memo does not specify what cases the volunteers will be asked to work on, but ideally the lawyers will have “extensive experience” in immigration and administrative law, in addition to general prosecution and litigation experience.
“We are proud to stand side by side with our law enforcement partners, bringing the skills and dedication of our nation’s military to achieve justice, restore order, and protect the American people,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Justice Department also acknowledged the authenticity of the memo, but did not provide details about the reason for the request or the lawyer’s response.
It was not immediately clear how the increasing number of lawyers’ removals would affect the military justice system, as with an earlier request for hundreds of military lawyers to serve as immigration judges. Lawyers known as judge advocates perform a wide range of duties similar to civilian lawyers, including prosecuting cases, acting as defense attorneys, and providing legal advice to military personnel.
The new request follows the Justice Department’s Sept. 26 request for 35 lawyers and two paralegals from the military, according to the memo. It was not immediately clear whether that number would be added to the 48 lawyers requested this week.
The Associated Press also reviewed an email sent to military prosecutors on Sept. 12 saying the Pentagon was seeking volunteers to serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys in West Texas and New Mexico, but did not mention the total number.
It’s unclear how successful the Pentagon is in recruiting volunteer lawyers, but at least some agencies are making their case to lawyers through messages like the one sent by the Army’s top lawyer.
“These roles provide unique opportunities to hone advocacy, courtroom procedure, and functional knowledge of the federal legal system for future use in the military justice system and civil litigation,” Maj. Gen. Bobby Christine said in an email reviewed by The Associated Press.
Christine said the initiative would “support national priorities.”
But Hegseth’s memo said police needed to identify a lawyer by Thursday and hinted that the military could be subject to an involuntary mobilization order.
The Army and Navy did not respond to questions about how many lawyers from their respective departments are assigned to the Justice Department. The Air Force directed questions to the Department of Defense.
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Associated Press writer Alana Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
