US military says 200 Marines being sent to support ICE in Florida

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Law enforcement officers, including HSI and ICE agents, take people into custody at an immigration court in Phoenix, Arizona, May 22. REUTERS/Caitlin O'Hara

WASHINGTON  -  The U.S. military said on Thursday it will send 200 Marines to Florida to provide administrative and logistical support to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

The Marines are the first wave of U.S. Northern Command's support to the immigration enforcement agency's mission, it said. 

"Service members participating in this mission will perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities," USNORTHCOM said in a statement.

It said their roles will focus on administrative and logistical tasks, and they are specifically prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody or involvement in any aspect of the custody chain.

Last month, the Pentagon authorized the mobilization of up to 700 Department of Defense personnel to support ICE in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

President Donald Trump also deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June to protect immigration agents during raids to arrest migrants in the United States illegally.

 (Reporting by Jasper Ward, editing by Ross Colvin // REUTERS)