WASHINGTON, D.C. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered 48 military attorneys and four paralegals to assist the Department of Justice (DOJ) in immigration enforcement operations along the U.S.-Mexico border and in Memphis, Tennessee, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.
The directive, issued Monday, calls for the temporary reassignment of lawyers from the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys through fall 2026. The DOJ requested additional legal staff to fill vacancies in offices near the southern border and in Memphis, where immigration cases have surged.
A Defense Department official told Newsweek the attorneys will “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement partners” to help “deliver justice, restore order, and protect the American people.”
The move comes as the Trump administration advances what it describes as the largest deportation effort in U.S. history. Immigration and human rights groups have filed multiple legal challenges, arguing the policy targets both undocumented and lawful residents.
Pentagon officials said the deployment will not impact the military’s own justice system, though it marks an expansion of Defense Department involvement in civilian immigration proceedings. The Pentagon had previously authorized up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges.
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