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Secretary of Defense pete hegseth Has ordered to provide dozens of lawyers to the army Justice Department For temporary assignment in memphis and near the U.S.-Mexico border, which could last until next autumn, according to a memo released this week and reviewed by The Associated Press.
“I am directing you to collectively identify 48 attorneys and 4 paralegals from within your military department who may be suitable for the Department of Justice to serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys,” Hegseth wrote in a memo Monday that was sent to all four services and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This memo appears to be the latest effort to work out a way for military and civilian lawyers to pentagon To the Justice Department, this time to staff offices located at the U.S. southern border or where federal immigration enforcement operations are taking place.
Last month, the Pentagon also approved sending 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges in a separate effort. The Trump administration has increasingly used the military to step up its immigration crackdown, deploying to the southern border and a series of US cities.
This week’s memo said the Justice Department has asked for help from 20 lawyers to support its offices in Memphis, where the National Guard has been deployed by President Donald Trump; 12 for West Texas – specifically for the cities of El Paso, Del Rio and Midland – and three attorneys and two paralegals for Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The memo does not specify what type of litigation the volunteers will be asked to do, but it says that, ideally, attorneys will have “significant experience” in immigration and administrative law in addition to general prosecution and litigation experience.
The Pentagon said in a statement that it was “proud to bring the skills and dedication of America’s service members to stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners to deliver justice, restore order, and protect the American people.”
The Justice Department also confirmed the authenticity of the memo but did not provide additional details on the reason for its request or what the lawyers would do.
As was the case with the prior request for hundreds of military lawyers to serve as immigration judges, it is not immediately clear how removing the growing number of lawyers would affect the armed forces’ justice system. Lawyers, called judge advocates, have many of the same duties as civilian lawyers, such as prosecuting, acting as defense attorneys or providing legal advice to service members.
According to the memo, the new request comes after the Justice Department was asked on September 26 for 35 lawyers and two paralegals from the Army. It was not immediately clear whether that number was in addition to the 48 lawyers requested this week.
The AP also reviewed an email sent to military attorneys on Sept. 12 that said the Pentagon was looking for volunteers to become special assistant U.S. attorneys in West Texas and New Mexico, without specifying the total number.
It’s not clear how successful the Pentagon has been in getting lawyers to volunteer, but at least some services are making the case to their lawyers through messages like the one sent by the Army’s top lawyer.
“These roles provide a unique opportunity to refine your advocacy, courtroom process and functional knowledge of the federal legal system for future use in our military justice system or civilian litigation,” Maj. Gen. Bobby Christine said in an email reviewed by the AP.
Christine said the work would be “in support of national priorities”.
However, Hegseth’s memo stated that the services had only until Thursday to identify attorneys and indicated the troops would be subject to involuntary mobilization orders.
The Army and Navy did not respond to questions about how many lawyers their respective services were sending to the Justice Department. Air Force asked questions to Pentagon.
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Associated Press writer Alana Durkin Richer contributed to this report.