The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly asked the Pentagon to provide military lawyers to help prosecute illegal immigration cases along the southern border.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported Wednesday night that the DOJ requested active-duty Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) be dispatched to border states to assist with the influx of illegal immigration cases.
Maddow said the JAGs will serve six-month shifts as special assistant U.S. attorneys in Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. The Defense Department has agreed to the request, Maddow reported.
The DOJ’s request comes amid an ongoing crackdown from the Trump administration on illegal immigration.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, stating that federal agents would “aggressively” prosecute migrants crossing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally.
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That policy led to the separation of thousands of children from their families at the border.
After days of growing outrage from both sides of the aisle, President Trump gave in to pressure on Wednesday, signing an executive order that would allow families to be detained together.
The executive order marked a sharp reversal for Trump and administration officials who had stated repeatedly that the issue of family separation could only be addressed by Congress.
The infusion of additional prosecutors would be the latest instance of the DOJ dispatching more personnel to address border crimes.
Sessions announced in May he was sending 35 additional U.S. state attorneys and 18 immigration judges to the southern border to handle the expected arrival of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States.