PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. –
At the request of the Department of Homeland Security and with approval from the Secretary of Defense, 1,500 active duty military service members under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command will deploy to the U.S. southwest border in the coming
days to provide support to Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Active duty military personnel will provide support with duties including data entry, warehousing support, and additional detection and monitoring support efforts. This military support increases the availability of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) law enforcement personnel to conduct law enforcement specific duties. Military personnel will not be permitted to support migrant processing and escort duties or other activities that involve direct participation in civilian law enforcement activities, be responsible for property seized from migrants, or require direct contact with migrants.
The specific timeline for deployments is still being determined, however, the initial active duty military personnel will be on the ground on or about May 10, 2023. The majority of active duty personnel will come from the U.S. Army and U.S. Marines, although a small number of U.S. Air Force personnel will also deploy.
Elements from the following battalion-sized units are tasked to conduct this mission:
2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
93rd Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Bliss, Texas
All DoD personnel will be in direct support of the DHS, the lead federal agency for security of the U.S.
southwest border.
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