U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will conduct lawful immigration status checks during family and graduation days for new U.S. Marines this week, but those agents will not be making arrests, ICE said Tuesday.
The Marine Corps has ramped up security on bases as the United States’ Operation Epic Fury continues targeting the radical Islamic regime in Iran, with military officials requiring everyone to present proper identification to access sites, NBC News reported Monday.
The outlet cited the website for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) at Parris Island, South Carolina, which said: “Due to MCRD’s increased Force Protection Measures, Federal Law Enforcement personnel will be present at installation access points to conduct enhanced screening and lawful immigration status inquiries during Recruit Family and Graduation Days.”
However, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the outlet, “ICE will not be making arrests at the basic training graduation in Paris Island, SC.”
DHS called the NBC article “FAKE NEWS” in a social media post and reiterated that ICE would not be taking people into custody:
ICE also addressed the news on its X profile, stating, “This is blatant fake news. ICE will NOT be making arrests at the basic training graduation in Parris Island.”
An MCRD Parris Island spokesperson told NBC:
While the Marine Corps routinely coordinates with federal partners on security matters, this is the first time in recent memory that federal law enforcement agencies have supported base access operations at Parris Island in this capacity. To help ensure a smooth and timely process, guests should bring proper identification and limit the number of items they carry onto the installation.
The news came after ICE agents were deployed to airports across the nation to help employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) amid a partial government shutdown, as Breitbart News reported March 24.
Although leftists have demonized ICE agents as President Donald Trump’s administration cracked down on illegal alien crime due to former President Joe Biden’s (D) disastrous open border policies, many airline travelers described the agents as “very pleasant” as the officials handed out water and helped expedite the security process, which reportedly resulted in shorter airport wait lines, per Breitbart News.