The U.S. Defense Department announced Tuesday that it authorized up to 700 troops to aid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Personnel will “provide logistical support” and conduct "administrative and clerical functions.” It means those assigned will not directly participate in law enforcement.
Up to 200 service members will be assigned to Florida and Louisiana each, according to a statement from a DOD official. Up to 300 members could be sent to Texas to support ICE operations.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have taken a firm stance on supporting federal efforts by ICE and immigration law enforcement. The governor said in a May 12 press release that the state is “ready to do even more” in regard to removing undocumented immigrants.
Thanks to 287(g) agreements, local law enforcement officers are authorized to act as immigration agents. Law enforcement can question and assist people suspected of circumventing immigration law.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have used Title 10 of the U.S. Code to send troops to California in response to protests against the administration's immigration policy and recent ramp up of deportations. Title 10 outlines the scope of Armed Forces and the president’s power to call militia and armed forces into federal service to quell situations like unlawful obstructions, assemblages or rebellion.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, who represents parts of Orange County, said military personnel should have no place in immigration enforcement.
“People in the military that are signed up to defend this country are being weaponized against U.S. citizens and against Americans in our own homeland,” he said.
Standing with immigration advocacy groups, he announced legislation aimed at expanding accountability in ICE facilities and requiring public reporting of who is in federal custody, where they are held and if they have been deported. He referenced the deportation of two Apopka parents who still have children in the state.
The father, Esvin Juarez, was detained at an ICE appointment and then deported to Guatemala.
State Rep. Jennifer “Rita” Harris stood by Frost on Wednesday, although she did not publicly comment on the matter.
Immigration advocates Tuesday said they are overwhelmed with detention cases, and some people have reported losing track of friends and relatives who have been detained by authorities. The group called for Orange County to reconsider its agreement with federal agencies.
But Central Florida lawmakers like Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, who represents parts of six Florida counties, supports the move by the DOD to aid in federal immigration efforts, citing it as necessary to protect law enforcement agents.
“The deployment of U.S. service members to support ICE in Florida reflects President Trump’s unwavering commitment to law and order – a commitment I proudly support,” said Fine in an email to Central Florida Public Media. “Florida will not sit back while chaos reigns. We will use every tool to protect our communities and enforce the law.”
The service members supporting the mission to the three states have not been identified, and according to a DOD official, the information will be made public as the “units/individuals are identified.”
As Florida looks for more ways to enforce immigration policy, Attorney General James Uthmeier, who a judge found in civil contempt over a ruling regarding an immigration law, proposed an immigration detention center in the Everglades Tuesday night.
