Hegseth authorizes hundreds of Defense Department lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly authorized sending as many as 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges.

The move was reported by the Associated Press, based on what the wire service said was an Aug. 27 memo it reviewed. 

The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys – military and civilian — as early as next week, the memo also states. 

The move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration, which has resulted in arrests, deportations and related court issues. There are now as many as 3.5 million cases awaiting adjudication. 

Immigration judges having been fired or having left has contributed to the backlog.