Marines Team Up With Ice In Bold Move To Boost ‘threat Awareness’ At Critical Military Bases

The U.S. Marine Corps, successful practice pinch Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has softly launched a aviator programme to position ICE agents astatine 3 awesome subject installations: Camp Pendleton successful California, Marine Corps Base Quantico successful Virginia and Marine Corps Base Hawaii. 

The move, aimed astatine bolstering information astir these bases, has raised arsenic galore questions arsenic it seeks to answer.

Abby Hall Blanco, a University of Tampa economics and defense professor, weighed successful connected nan deficiency of transparency surrounding nan program’s inception. 

"We don't really person a full batch of accusation astatine precisely what led up to this circumstantial program," she told Fox News Digital. "The programme is intended to augment security, peculiarly astir nan perimeter of these Marine Corps bases."

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The Marine Corps is moving pinch ICE agents to heighten subject guidelines security. (John Moore/Getty Images and Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

A Pentagon charismatic issued a connection to Fox News Digital, emphasizing nan collaborative quality of nan effort.

"Our cooperative effort pinch ICE astatine MCB Camp Pendleton, MCB Quantico and MCB Hawaii is simply a aviator programme that aligns pinch nan enhanced information measures we are implementing astatine each our installations worldwide to deter unauthorized installation entree by overseas nationals."

They said that nan beingness of ICE unit "enhances installation-level unit protection by expanding visibility, coordination, and threat consciousness astatine captious entree points and successful surrounding areas."

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The installation of ICE unit comes aft high-profile incidents, namely nan 2023 breach attempt by 2 Jordanian nationals astatine Quantico.

Both individuals were apprehended connected May 3, 2024 aft they attempted to breach nan Marine Corps base. A spokesperson antecedently shared pinch Fox News Digital that nan brace arrived successful a container motortruck and were stopped astatine nan gate. The driver told subject constabulary officers that they were making a transportation to nan station agency and worked for a institution subcontracted by Amazon.

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One of nan 2 Jordanian nationals was later confirmed to beryllium successful nan U.S. illegally, pinch nan different a overseas student whose position was terminated, according to ICE.

Other incidents, including unauthorized drone flights complete subject installations and reports from The Wall Street Journal that astir 100 Chinese nationals person attempted to breach U.S. subject bases, adhd to nan image of a increasing interest by nan U.S. government.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detain an migrant connected Oct. 14, 2015 successful Los Angeles. (Getty Images)

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Despite heightened security, Hall expressed skepticism astir nan implications of involving ICE.

"It gives benignant of an overseas belief that nan Marine Corps is not handling its ain information sufficiently," she said. "Having known rather a fewer Marines successful my time, I can't ideate that they would find that to beryllium a peculiarly flattering interpretation."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to ICE for comment. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.