Military lawyers tapped as temporary immigration judges
The Trump administration is recruiting Army Reserve and National Guard lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges to fill vacancies after dozens of immigration judges were fired or left, with training for an initial Army Reserve cohort beginning the week of Oct. 6, 2025 and further training planned in spring 2026. About 100 Army Reserve lawyers were invited (50 expected to begin nearly six‑month assignments immediately), and officials say the program could scale to as many as 600 military‑trained attorneys to help adjudicate a backlog of roughly 3.4 million pending immigration cases nationwide.
Politics
Military
Immigration
🔍 Key Facts
- Roughly 100 Army Reserve lawyers were invited; 50 will begin a nearly six‑month assignment immediately after training (Sept. 3 email cited by AP).
- Administration aims to bring in as many as 600 military‑trained attorneys to supplement about 600 remaining immigration judges; statute caps permanent judges at 800.
- Pending immigration‑court caseload has more than doubled over four years to about 3.4 million cases, and the move follows a wave of firings and departures of career immigration judges.