Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, effectively doubling the current bench.

The move aims to ease a backlog of about 3.5 million cases but comes amid criticism that military attorneys lack immigration law expertise.

Immigration lawyers warn the plan undermines due process, while the White House says it is exploring multiple options to address the crisis, the Associated Press has reported.

The military judges will serve in 179-day terms, renewable as needed.