By Steve Neavling
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to assign nearly 50 lawyers to the Justice Department for temporary duty in immigration enforcement zones, including Memphis and cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.
In the directive, dated Monday, Hegseth told the service branches to identify “48 attorneys and 4 paralegals” suitable to serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys. The details could last through next fall and will support Justice Department offices in Memphis, El Paso, Del Rio, Midland, and Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The memo is the latest sign that the Trump administration is leaning on the military to bolster its immigration crackdown. Last month, the Pentagon approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges.
The Justice Department requested 20 lawyers for Memphis, where National Guard troops have already been deployed by President Donald Trump, along with 12 for West Texas and five for southern New Mexico. The memo said attorneys should ideally have “significant experience” in immigration or administrative law, as well as general prosecution experience.
The Pentagon confirmed the order, saying it was “proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our law enforcement partners, bringing the skill and dedication of America’s service members to deliver justice, restore order, and protect the American people.”
The Justice Department also verified the memo’s authenticity but declined to say what specific work the military attorneys would perform.
It remains unclear how diverting so many judge advocates, who handle prosecutions, defense work, and legal advice within the armed forces, will affect the military’s own justice system.
According to the memo, the latest request follows a Sept. 26 call from the Justice Department for 35 attorneys and two paralegals, suggesting the total number of military lawyers being reassigned to civilian immigration work could exceed 80.
