The U.S. military is sending 200 Marines to Florida to support ICE operations

Churchill Ndonwie, Miami Herald on Jul 3, 2025

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Two hundred U.S. marines are going to be sent to to Florida to support President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts, the U.S. Northern Command announced on Thursday

The marines will be deployed from an air base in North Carolina to the Sunshine State to “augment U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interior enforcement,” the announcement said.

The marines will not be involved in law enforcement duties, the statement said. Instead, they will help with administrative and logistical responsibilities under the ICE’s direction.

The announcement comes as Florida opens opens Alligator Alcatraz, a detention center deep in the Everglades that’s part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to support federal immigration operations. The site, which has drawn sharp criticism from immigration advocates and environmentalists, began housing detainees Wednesday night. It is not clear yet whether the marines being deployed might be stationed at the new detention center.

The agency said that the deployment of the marines was the “first wave of USNORTHCOM’s support of this ICE mission,” and that the Defense Secretary had approved up to 700 troops in response to a Department of Homeland Security request.

Thursday’s mobilization of marines is part of the federal government’s push to focus the operations of law enforcement and military agencies on the Trump immigration agenda.