Pentagon Sends 600 Military Lawyers to Act as Immigration Judges

SEP 3·UPDATED SEP 3

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Above: Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 2, 2025. Image copyright: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

The immigration court faces a 3.7 million-case backlog, resulting in years-long delays. Military lawyers can certainly be effective after just two weeks of training, as they already possess the necessary background and skills to succeed in the role. Immediate action is needed to resolve this crisis efficiently; Immigration experience isn't essential, as many currently successful immigration judges came from other federal roles without it.

Federal Register X

Democratic narrative

Deploying untrained military lawyers as immigration judges creates a dangerous precedent that undermines due process and fair adjudication in life-altering deportation cases. The complexity of immigration law requires extensive specialized knowledge that cannot be adequately conveyed in brief training sessions.

CBS X