Trump admin deploys 200 Marines to Florida to assist ICE

The deployment comes in response to a Department of Homeland Security request received on May 9. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth approved the mobilization of up to 700 Active, National Guard, and Reserve component forces operating under Title 10 authority.

The Marines from the Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, are the first wave of deployments to support ICE, US Northern Command said. These soldiers will be assisting ICE’s "interior immigration enforcement mission with critical administrative and logistical capabilities at locations as directed by ICE."

Other locations that will see deployments include Louisiana and Texas.

"Service members participating in this mission will perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities. 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," US Northern Command said.

This comes after Trump's decision to send in 700 Marines to Los Angeles, alongside thousands of National Guardsmen, amid the city's anti-ICE riots was widely criticized by Democrats in the state, including Governor Gavin Newsom, who sued over the matter.

Florida is now home to Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention facility set up in the Everglades that Trump visited on Tuesday and will hold thousands of people.