Two hundred Marines are being sent to Florida to help federal immigration authorities with “critical administrative and logistical capabilities” — not to apprehend suspected undocumented immigrants — U.S. Northern Command officials said Thursday.
NORTHCOM officials said the Marines, currently based in North Carolina, represent “the first wave” of forces deployed to support the mission of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the federal agency charged with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Other Marines will be sent to Texas and Louisiana, said USNORTHCOM officials, who emphasized that the Marines “will perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities.”
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“Their roles will focus on administrative and logistical tasks, and they are specifically prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody or involvement in any aspect of the custody chain,” said NORTHCOM in its statement.
The Trump administration has stepped up its deportation campaign, setting a daily goal of 3,000 arrests by ICE and that the number could go higher.
NORTHCOM said they dispatched the Marines after getting a request from the Department of Homeland Security on May 9. The Secretary of Defense approved a mobilization of up to 700 Active, National Guard, and Reserve forces.
