Pentagon To Deploy 600 Military Lawyers To Oversee Immigration Backlog

By Derek Vanbuskirk

The Pentagon is sending 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as immigration judges, according to a memo obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The lawyers will be detailed in groups of 150, with the first cohort selected this week, the memo reportedly said. The move follows a Justice Department rule change that lets temporary immigration judges take the bench without prior immigration law experience, according to the Federal Register. (RELATED:Clinton-Appointed Judge Rules Trump’s LA Troop Deployment Illegal)

The shift is meant to help the Trump administration work through millions of immigration cases stuck in the backlog. The Justice Department requested the transfers, which would temporarily double the number of immigration judges for up to 179 days, with an option to renew, the AP reported.

After declaring the border closed to illegal crossings, the administration shifted its focus to mass deportations inside the country, expanding recruitment drives and easing hiring standards at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

While mass deportation is central to the administration’s agenda, the immigration court backlog predates Trump and has built up over several years.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse reported in 2023 that immigration courts faced 3 million pending cases — about 4,500 per judge — with more than half of that backlog added under former President Joe Biden.

A White House official told the AP the administration is weighing several options, including hiring more permanent immigration judges, calling the backlog a “priority that everyone — including those waiting for adjudication — can rally around.”

The White House did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.