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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued an order that has generated attention both within and outside of political circles: the dispatch of up to 600 military lawyers to the Department of Justice to temporarily serve as immigration judges. The decision was recorded in a memo dated August 27, obtained by the Associated Press.

The measure seeks to respond to the growing number of pending cases in U.S. immigration courts, where backlogs have reached historic highs. With this extraordinary addition of legal personnel from the Armed Forces, the administration aims to alleviate the backlog and expedite resolutions in processes that often drag on for months or even years.

While this is not the first time the government has used military personnel to support civilian functions, the decision sets a significant precedent by placing lawyers with military training in a key position within the immigration system. Sources close to the Department of Defense explained that those selected have experience in international law and military disciplinary proceedings, which would facilitate their adaptation to immigration procedures.

However, the initiative also raises questions. Some human rights experts and migrant advocacy organizations have expressed concern about the potential impact on the fairness of trials, emphasizing that the lawyers' military profile could create tensions with the civilian principles that govern the immigration court system. Other observers, in contrast, view the measure as a pragmatic step given the magnitude of the migration crisis and the lack of resources in specialized courts.

Hegseth's decision ultimately reflects the growing pressure the federal government faces to manage immigration in a context marked by political polarization and administrative overcrowding. How these military lawyers perform their role in the coming months will be key to assessing whether this strategy contributes to reducing judicial backlogs or, on the contrary, opens a new front of debate about the boundaries between civilian and military justice.