About 200 U.S. Marines are deploying to assist with Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Florida, U.S. Northern Command said Thursday.
The Marines would deploy from Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina to assist with "critical administrative and logistical capabilities at locations as directed by ICE."
The soldiers would not perform law-enforcement tasks, NORTHCOM said, and would be "specifically prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody or involvement in any aspect of the custody chain."
It was not clear if the deployment had any association with a new immigration detention center built in the Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," that began operation this week.
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The Pentagon announced in June it would deploy more active-duty soldiers to protect federal agents and property under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows for federal control and funding of the armed forces, including the National Guard.
Additional Marines will begin similar missions in Louisiana and Texas, NORTHCOM said.
Their numbers will join the roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and U.S. Marines who have been sent to California under Title 10 to protect ICE personnel and federal buildings.
