Approximately 200 Marines from Support Squadron 272 have been deployed to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Florida, which marks the first of many ICE support deployments throughout the country, the U.S. Northern Command announced on Thursday.
The group of Marines, coming from North Carolina, is meant to support ICE on “administrative and logistical tasks,” according to the statement. This includes vehicle maintenance and processing immigration detainees, according to The Washington Post. Notably, the Marines will not be involved in direct “law enforcement activities,” the Department of Defense announced.
The deployment of the Marines and other federal groups has already sparked controversy this year after President Donald Trump dispatched 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles last month to respond to anti-ICE protests, without the knowledge or permission of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A legal battle ensued between Trump and Newsom, culminating in a federal judge ruling that the president had the authority to keep federal agents in L.A.
The Marines deployed to Florida on Thursday were mobilized under the same section of the United States Code as the National Guard was mobilized under in L.A.
On June 17, the Pentagon announced that 700 military servicemen would support ICE operations in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. The troops deployed on Thursday are the first of the 700 to be sent on the mission.
The Thursday deployment coincides with the opening of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the controversial and much-publicized ICE detainment center situated in the Florida Everglades, which has gained attention for its “dehumanizing” conditions. The detention center has already admitted its first group of migrants.
Florida Democratic lawmakers were reportedly blocked from visiting the immigration jail, despite receiving legal clearance to do so.
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