# Pentagon Solves Immigration Crisis by Deploying People Who Usually Handle Court Martials as Civilian Judges
The Department of Defense announced this week that 600 military lawyers will temporarily serve as immigration judges, marking what officials describe as a “completely normal and not at all concerning” expansion of military authority into civilian judicial proceedings.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the deployment, noting that military attorneys bring “unique qualifications” to immigration law, including extensive experience determining guilt in environments where the defendant already knows they’re probably screwed.
“Our military lawyers are highly trained in making rapid decisions under pressure,” explained Pentagon spokesperson Colonel Sarah Mitchell. “Whether someone gets deported or court-martialed, the basic principle is the same: process them quickly and move on to the next case.”
The program addresses what the Trump administration calls an “unprecedented judicial emergency” created by their own dramatically expanded enforcement operations. Traditional immigration judges, who apparently lack the military’s efficiency in handling large volumes of people they’ve already decided are problematic, have struggled to keep pace with the administration’s ambitious deportation goals.
Military attorneys will undergo what officials describe as “intensive” training in immigration law, consisting of a comprehensive five-day crash course that covers essential topics such as “Asylum vs. Not Asylum” and “Basic Constitutional Rights (When Applicable).”
“Five days is plenty of time to learn everything you need to know about immigration law,” said Justice Department Training Coordinator Mark Stevens. “It’s not like we’re asking them to perform brain surgery. We’re just asking them to make life-altering decisions about people’s fundamental human rights.”
The program will effectively double the number of immigration judges nationwide, though critics note that doubling the speed of judicial proceedings typically requires either doubling the training time or halving the attention paid to individual cases.
Each military attorney will handle an estimated 20-25 cases per day, compared to the current average of 8-10 cases processed by traditional judges who apparently waste time on unnecessary details like “thorough case review” and “careful legal analysis.”
“We’re bringing military efficiency to the immigration system,” Hegseth explained during a Pentagon briefing. “In the military, we don’t spend four years deciding whether someone belongs here. We make a decision and execute it.”
The first deployment of 150 military lawyers will report to immigration courts in Texas, Arizona, and California, where they’ll begin implementing what officials call “streamlined adjudication procedures” that prioritize case completion over case complexity.
Immigration advocacy groups have expressed concerns about the accelerated timeline, particularly given that traditional immigration law requires understanding complex asylum criteria, international treaties, and constitutional protections that aren’t typically covered in military legal training.
“Military lawyers are trained to enforce the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which assumes everyone involved is already subject to military authority,” said immigration attorney Maria Rodriguez. “Civilian immigration law involves slightly different concepts, like ‘due process’ and ‘burden of proof.'”
Pentagon officials emphasized that participating military lawyers are volunteers who expressed interest in immigration law, though sources suggest the volunteer pool expanded significantly after officials mentioned that successful performance could lead to favorable duty assignments and accelerated promotions.
The program maintains what officials describe as “strict separation” from military chain of command during judicial proceedings, meaning military lawyers will make independent decisions based on their best understanding of immigration law, rather than following orders from superior officers who may have opinions about deportation quotas.
Legal scholars have raised constitutional questions about using military personnel in civilian judicial roles, but administration officials argue that desperate times call for creative solutions, especially when those solutions happen to align perfectly with existing policy objectives.
The initiative represents the latest example of military resources being deployed for domestic law enforcement purposes, following recent assignments that have included border patrol, urban policing, and various other activities traditionally handled by civilian agencies that apparently lack the military’s decisive approach to complex social problems.
Source: Pentagon briefing, Department of Justice, Military Times