Military lawyers approved to become temporary immigration judges : NPR
The American Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, speaks while President Trump looks at him in the oval office of the White House on September 2. 2025 in Washington, DC
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About 600 military lawyers were authorized to work for the Ministry of Justice as temporary immigration judges, including 150, potentially starting this week, according to an American official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
This decision comes after the Ministry of Justice brought last week to know who could be considered as a temporary immigration judge – effectively reducing requirements and eliminating the need to have previous immigration experience.
Immigration judges are the only ones who can revoke someone’s green card or issue a final dismissal order for people who have been in the country for more than two years and who are being expelled.
Military lawyers will receive a few weeks of training to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to the American official.
As part of its aggressive immigration policy, the Trump administration has evolved rapidly to increase the rate of undocumented immigrants and increase the spaces of detention and deportations. But the rapid pace of arrests contributed to the millions of late cases to the executive office of the Ministry of Justice for the Immigration Exam, which houses the immigration courts.
At the same time, in the past nine months, Eoir has lost more than 100 judges because of dismissals and voluntary resignations, against around 700 judges at the start of the year.
The Department of Internal Security, which oversees immigration police, has launched a national recruitment campaign for deportation agents, investigators and lawyers, stimulated by an influx of more Congress funds.
President Trump at the beginning of this year also expressed his support for a plan in Florida to deputate military lawyers of the National Guard of the State, known as the Advocate General’s Corps judge, to act as immigration judges.
Earlier this year, Congress approved a mega spending bill which allocated more than $ 3 billion to the Ministry of Justice for Immigration Activities, in particular by hiring more immigration judges.
Funding and additional personnel aim to mitigate the growing case file, which represents nearly 4 million cases. Permanent hiring and training judges can take more than a year.
