US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) announced Thursday that approximately 200 Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, based at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina, are moving to Florida.
They will augment ICE’s interior immigration enforcement mission by offering critical administrative and logistical capabilities at locations designated by ICE.
The deployment marks the first phase of NORTHCOM’s support for the operation.
Other staging areas will include Louisiana and Texas.
NORTHCOM emphasized that the Marines will perform only non-law enforcement duties inside ICE facilities, Anadolu reported.
They are prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody or any involvement in the custody chain.
The announcement coincided with the arrival of the first immigration detainees at Florida’s detention center in the Everglades.
President Donald Trump has referred to the facility as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
State Attorney General James Uthmeier described the 3,000-bed center as a “one-stop shop” for implementing Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
“Florida will keep leading the way on detaining, deporting and delivering for the American people,” Uthmeier said on X.