‘Service members participating in this mission will perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities,’ the military said.
The U.S. military said on July 3 that it would send 200 Marines to the Sunshine State to offer administrative and logistical support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The soldiers will be the first wave sent from U.S. Northern Command to assist ICE, according to the military.
“Service members participating in this mission will perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities,” U.S. Northern Command said in a statement.
Marines will also be sent to Louisiana and Texas, where service members will perform “strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities,” U.S. Northern Command added.
“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.”
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved sending Marines to Florida, Texas, and Louisiana to help ICE.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a June 17 statement that the service members will be “drawn from all components” and will operate in a Title 10 duty status while providing “logistical support, and conduct administrative and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal aliens at ICE detention facilities.”
“They will not directly participate in law enforcement activities,” Parnell said.
On Monday, the Pentagon reiterated that the Marines being sent to Florida would focus on administrative and logistical work.
It’s not clear if the Marines will be sent to the state’s new “Alligator Alcatraz” illegal immigrant detention facility, which opened on Tuesday after Gov. Ron DeSantis invoked emergency powers to bypass environmental reviews and fast-track its approval.
The facility, largely built out of metal fencing and tents alongside an airstrip at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, was designed to house nearly 3,000 illegal immigrants.
Alligator Alcatraz got its name due to its location in remote Florida swampland full of alligators, pythons, and rattlesnakes, which draws comparisons to the former Alcatraz prison for its isolation on an island in San Francisco Bay, making it nearly inescapable.
When Hegseth approved the Marine mobilization in June, the Pentagon said it had authorized the deployment of up to 700 Defense Department officials to support ICE in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.
President Donald Trump also sent 700 Marines to Los Angeles last month to protect ICE agents during law enforcement operations.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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