President Donald Trump‘s sign-off on Florida’s plan to deputize the National Guard to serve as immigration judges is the latest example of the nontraditional and militarized approach Trump has deployed to speed up deportations.
Trump on Tuesday gave his former foe, now friend, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) permission to allow state National Guardsmen to serve as immigration judges, who can now decide the fate of countless illegal immigrants in federal detention.
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A shortage of immigration judges and a surge of new illegal immigrants under former President Joe Biden ballooned the immigration court backlog to about 3.5 million pending cases, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
During a visit to “Alligator Alcatraz” this week, Trump told the Washington Examiner that DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier should move forward with the idea of using state military forces to act as judges and not further delay deportation proceedings.
“Yes, he has my approval,” Trump said when asked by the Washington Examiner. “That wasn’t too hard to get, was it, Ron?”
In the Everglades today, I asked President Trump if he would support Gov. DeSantis’ idea of deputizing National Guard soldiers to act as immigration judges in order to quickly decide cases.
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) July 1, 2025
He quickly responded, “Yes, he has my approval.” pic.twitter.com/R2sxOsD282
By Wednesday, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell said nearly 70 Florida National Guard personnel were conducting base security at Alligator Alcatraz, a novel site DeSantis set up in the Florida Everglades near an air strip to detain illegal immigrants and eventually fly them away on deportation planes.
In addition to the latest Florida National Guard activation, Trump deployed 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles last month in response to the anti-ICE protests. The Pentagon also mobilized 700 troops to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement with deportations in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.
In addition to the military, Trump has marshalled federal agents from an array of departments to help ICE, including police from the Justice Department’s U.S. Marshals Service; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Bureau of Prisons; and the Department of Homeland Security’s Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
The latest effort to use the National Guard as immigration judges is being met with praise from Republicans, though it faces blowback from Democrats and the immigrant rights community.
Uthmeier said in comments on social media a day ahead of Trump’s visit that illegal immigrants brought to the converted airfield could, “Come in, get your ‘process,’ and fly out.”
The proposal does not mean that rank-and-file soldiers would be converted into immigration judges, of which there are 600 judges nationwide.
The state’s National Guard has about nine Judge Advocate General officers who may be trained in immigration law, according to the Miami Herald.
Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) supported Trump’s comment and said legislation could permanently solve the immigration judge shortage for the millions of pending cases.
“What @GovRonDeSantis is doing in Florida, using National Guard Judge Advocates to fast-track deportations, is exactly the kind of bold action my GUARD Act is meant to support,” Harrigan said in a post to X. “My bill gives @POTUS clear authority to deploy the National Guard for immigration enforcement in all 50 states, not just in those willing to cooperate.”
Rightwing firebrand talk show host and author of Info Wars, Alex Jones, immediately got behind the idea.
“THIS IS HUGE! President Trump Announces Plan To Override Article III Judges By Using National Guard JAG Officers To Conduct Deportation Hearings!” Jones reacted on X. “Of Course, The Left Is Melting Down- Calling Him A Dictator- Even Though He Has The Constitutional Right.”
BANNON: Governor DeSantis says Florida will open the new deportation center tomorrow morning.
— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) July 1, 2025
He’s even studying whether to use the National Guard as deportation judges to speed up removals. pic.twitter.com/TaekPjcGqg
Curtis Morrison, an immigration attorney at Red Eagle Law L.C. in Southern California, said Florida could not proceed with such an idea without authorization from the Justice Department.
“Jesus. ‘The state needs DOJ approval to deputize the National Guard as Deportation judges,'” said Morrison, who has brought several high-profile cases against the federal government, in a post to X.
TRUMP AT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’: ‘DEPORTATION’ IS THE ONLY WAY OUT FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DETAINEES
Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigration Coalition rejected the proposal as a step toward removing due process.
“National Guard members are being deputized to serve as immigration judges in this Everglades detention camp,” Kennedy wrote in a statement on X. “This is intended to strip due process from those detained there.”
Meanwhile, some House Democrats are lobbying to have Alligator Alcatraz close immediately, saying the site, surrounded by alligators, “intentionally exploits the hazardous natural conditions of the Everglades, threatening migrants with exposure to deadly wildlife and harsh weather conditions.”
Mike Brest contributed to this report.