US military reported Thursday that 200 Marines will be sent to Florida to provide administrative and logistical assistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The deployment is the first phase of US Northern Command’s (USNORTHCOM) mission to support ICE efforts.
In a release from USNORTHCOM, the Marines will conduct only non-law enforcement activities within ICE facilities and are specifically prohibited from coming into contact with those in custody or being a part of any aspect of the detention process. Their functions will be administrative work and logistical support to assist ICE’s wider immigration enforcement efforts.
The action comes on the heels of last month’s Pentagon approval to deploy up to 700 Department of Defense personnel to support ICE nationwide in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. The wider authorizing move is designed to bolster ICE operations in response to increased immigration enforcement efforts.
In a similar move earlier this year, President Donald Trump sent 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help guard ICE agents during migrant raids.
Officials stressed that the Marines’ present mission is purely support-based and does not directly engage with immigration detainees. The deployment is one of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to bolster the capability of immigration enforcement agencies while maintaining military personnel in a non-combat, administrative status.