On Thursday, the U.S. military announced that 200 Marines will be dispatched to Florida to offer logistical and administrative assistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This deployment marks the initial phase of U.S. Northern Command’s support for ICE’s enforcement initiatives, according to the statement provided.
USNORTHCOM stated, “Service members involved in this mission will engage solely in non-law enforcement roles within ICE facilities.”
In June, President Donald Trump deployed 700 Marines to address protests against deportation operations conducted by ICE officials in Los Angeles.
Despite the lawful nature of the raids, critics raised concerns regarding the treatment of migrants by federal authorities and the tactics used by immigration officers during these operations.
Both Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed their opposition to the deployments, arguing that they would heighten tensions.
The military emphasized that the Marines’ responsibilities will be limited to administrative and logistical support within ICE facilities.
According to U.S. Northern Command, “Approximately 200 Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, are moving to Florida to enhance U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) interior immigration enforcement mission by providing essential administrative and logistical support at locations designated by ICE.”
It is imperative that strict regulations are adhered to, preventing the Marines from directly interacting with individuals in ICE custody or participating in the custody process.
The announcement, which likely pertains to the comprehensive deployment of troops in Louisiana and Texas, indicates that these deployments constitute the first wave of support from U.S. Northern Command for ICE operations in the area.
In June, the Pentagon authorized the deployment of up to 700 Defense Department personnel to assist ICE operations across the three states.
“These service members, sourced from various components and operating under Title 10 duty status, will offer logistical assistance and perform administrative and clerical tasks related to the processing of undocumented immigrants at ICE detention centers,” stated Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement on June 17 regarding the support.
“They will not engage directly in law enforcement activities,” Parnell further noted.
This announcement comes as the U.S. job market continues to progress steadily, despite media assertions of ‘increasing economic uncertainty’ and the alleged ‘effects’ of Trump’s tariffs.
In June, the economy saw the addition of a stronger-than-anticipated 147,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate decreased to 4.1% from 4.2%, based on data released on Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The job gains in June surpassed the forecast of 117,500 and demonstrated a significant increase from May’s total, which was adjusted upward by 5,000 jobs to 144,000. Additionally, April’s gains were revised upward by 11,000, resulting in a net increase of 158,000 jobs.
This marks a departure from the Biden administration, during which the Labor Department frequently revised job figures downward in subsequent months.
The revisions, along with the data released on Thursday, suggest that the average job growth over the last three months stands at 150,000. “Stocks opened higher following the jobs report. The Dow increased by 96 points, or 0.22%. The broader S&P 500 rose by 0.4%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.6%,” CNN reported.
Job Creators Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz commended Trump during an appearance on Fox Business Network on Thursday after the Labor Department published its figures.
“Kudos to President Trump because this three-legged stool of his has proven to be very effective: the trade, taxes, and deregulation combined. It’s all about Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!” he remarked.
On his Truth Social page, Trump also shared a video of a Bloomberg report in which the analyst commented on the labor figures: “This is positive news; much better than anticipated.