The Marine Corps is scrambling to reassure military families that there will be no immigration enforcement during boot camp graduation ceremonies, officials said Wednesday, after an outcry over plans for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to join security efforts at upcoming events.
Defense officials said an internal communications failure is to blame for a notice that was posted Tuesday on the website for the service’s famed training facility at Parris Island, South Carolina. It said that federal law enforcement “will be present at installation access points to conduct enhanced screening and lawful immigration status inquiries” of recruits’ families.
The announcement highlighted an unexpected collaboration between a signature agency involved in President Donald Trump’s divisive immigration enforcement efforts and a military service in which about 3 in 10 service members are Hispanic, according to recent Defense Department data. While most Marines are U.S. citizens, the service has long allowed some recruits who entered the United States illegally to enlist and celebrated those who eventually earn their citizenship.
ICE’s involvement, first reported by NBC News, prompted immediate backlash from immigrant advocates, Democrats and other critics of the Trump administration. ICE officials labeled the reporting “blatant fake news” and denied that its agents would be making any arrests at Parris Island graduation ceremonies.
The Marines adjusted their message Tuesday, altering the online notice to say federal authorities will be on hand due to “increased force protection measures and to expedite enhanced base access procedures” at boot camp graduations.
Two defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation, told The Washington Post that a defense official at Parris Island requested the original message be posted to the installation’s website. It was published there without the input of top Marine Corps leaders at the Pentagon. Senior service leaders never intended for immigration enforcement to occur at the graduations, the officials said.
One of the military officials voiced frustration with the situation, calling it a “self-inflicted gunshot wound” for the Marine Corps. Another said it was a “step on a rake” moment.
A spokesman for the service, Lt. Col. Joshua Benson, said: “We want these families to go see their kids graduate. We want these families to see their sons and daughters become United States Marines.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to questions about what its personnel intend to do at Parris Island.
The involvement of ICE followed an order weeks ago from Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, who oversees domestic U.S. military operations as head of Northern Command, to boost security at military bases across the U.S. The directive was made in response to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, and the precautions include random vehicle inspections and identification checks for all people entering military installations.
A few days later, on March 6, Parris Island held a boot camp graduation and the heightened security requirements created bottlenecks at the installation’s gates, one of the military officials said. In response, commanders decided it would be wise to open four lanes of traffic at future graduations, rather than two, requiring additional law enforcement personnel to assist. Up to 5,000 people attend some graduation ceremonies, an official said.
The Marines followed up by soliciting outside help through what is known as a “feasibility of support” request. Assistance could have come through any federal law enforcement agency, and the Department of Homeland Security offered assistance from ICE, the military official said.
Though their primary mission is to enforce U.S. immigration laws, and detain and deport those in the country illegally, ICE agents also were recently tasked with augmenting security at select airports affected by the partial government shutdown.
The deployment of ICE personnel is viewed differently than other law enforcement by many Americans, though. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found in February that a growing majority have soured on Trump’s handling of immigration, with 62 percent opposing aggressive tactics that ICE has used, and 7 in 10 Americans believing that “less than half” or “hardly any” of the immigrants deported since Trump’s return to the White House were violent criminals.
ICE was fiercely criticized after the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen, Renée Good, in Minnesota earlier this year. Other DHS personnel were involved in the killing of another American, Alex Pretti. At least 30 people in ICE custody died in 2025, according to a government tally.
The Marine Corps for years has recruited heavily among the nation’s population of Latin American families. A 2024 Defense Department study found that 29.3 percent of the service’s active-duty population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, higher than each of the other military services. About 20 percent of Americans identify as such, according to Census data.
Before Trump’s return to office, the Pentagon celebrated the contributions of immigrants and touted military service as a potential path to U.S. citizenship. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has adopted a different approach, saying repeatedly that diversity is “the single dumbest phrase in military history” while instead touting “unity of purpose.”
The presence of ICE at Parris Island has riled some lawmakers.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), a Marine veteran and the son of immigrants, told reporters Tuesday that he was “disturbed” by reports that ICE could be present at the family events. He served alongside many Marines who also are the children of immigrants, he said, and called boot camp graduation ceremonies “sacred.”
“The American public wants the ICE and DHS to go after criminals, that are dangerous to this country, not to go after people whose sons and daughters are joining to go to war right now,” Gallego said.
Scott Clement contributed to this report.
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