The U.S. military announced on Thursday that 200 Marines will be dispatched to Florida to offer logistical and administrative assistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the statement, these Marines represent the initial phase of U.S. Northern Command’s support for ICE’s enforcement initiatives.
“Service members involved in this operation will engage solely in non-law enforcement roles within ICE facilities,” USNORTHCOM stated in a release.
In June, President Donald Trump deployed 700 Marines to mitigate protests against deportation actions conducted by ICE officials in Los Angeles.
Critics raised alarms regarding the treatment of migrants by federal authorities and the tactics used by immigration officers during the raids, despite the fact that these operations were executed under lawful directives from federal authorities.
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 will be tasked exclusively with administrative and logistical support within ICE facilities.
“Approximately 200 Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, based at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina, are en route to Florida to enhance U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) interior immigration enforcement mission by providing essential administrative and logistical support at designated locations as instructed by ICE,” U.S. Northern Command detailed in its announcement.
Strict regulations will be enforced to prevent 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 mark the initial wave of support from U.S. Northern Command for ICE operations in the area.
The Pentagon has authorized the deployment of as many as 700 Defense Department personnel in June to assist ICE operations across three states.
“These service members, sourced from all branches and operating under Title 10 duty status, will offer logistical support and perform administrative and clerical tasks related to the processing of illegal aliens at ICE detention facilities,” 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 development occurs 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 added a surprising 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 anticipated figure of 117,500 and represented a notable 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 saw a gain of 0.6%,” reported CNN.
Job Creators Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz commended Trump during a segment on Fox Business Network on Thursday following the release of figures by the Labor Department.
Kudos to President Trump, as his three-pronged approach has proven to be highly effective: the combination of trade, tax reforms, and deregulation. It’s all about Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!” he remarked.
On his Truth Social account, Trump shared a video of a Bloomberg analysis in which the commentator stated regarding the labor statistics: “This is positive news; significantly better than anticipated. … In our survey, economists expected [the unemployment rate] to rise to 4.3 — It actually stands at 4.1. Jobless claims — Far lower than projected.
