Marines warn of ICE presence at Parris Island boot camp events

Citing “increased force protection measures,” visitors to boot camp graduation and family days at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, can expect federal agents checking on their lawful immigration status, according to an announcement posted on the base’s official web page.

NBC, which first reported the news, confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel would be posted outside the base, which trains about 20,000 recruits annually and holds about 40 graduation ceremonies a year.

Officials with Marine Corps Headquarters, Parris Island and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to Marine Corps Times queries about the move.

“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,” the Corps’ message read.

NBC published a confirmation from the Marine Corps that this is “the first time in recent memory that federal law enforcement agencies have supported base access operations,” as well as DHS statements saying ICE planned no on-site arrests as part of its work.

Notably, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, the Corps’ West Coast training base, has published no public statement or alert about a federal presence there.

This development comes amid national efforts to locate and deport immigrants without legal residency status, ushering mass deployments of ICE agents to cities including Minneapolis and Chicago and, most recently, ICE reinforcements at U.S. airports.

It also comes as bases shore up security in recognition of increased threats as the U.S. enters its second month of conflict with Iran. Earlier this month, for example, Fort Meade, Maryland, announced that it was ramping up vehicle inspections and closing the base off to rideshare and delivery drivers who didn’t have a Defense Department-issued ID card.

Some bases in the Pacific, likewise, have raised their alert status from Alpha to Bravo, indicating “an increased or more predictable threat of terrorist activity exists” in light of the Iran threat.

The move to check the legal immigration status of military family members contrasts with efforts of some to promote the military as a pathway for children of the undocumented to secure a safe haven for their parents. In January, the New York Times reported on an Oregon-based National Guard recruiter who promoted the unique DHS Parole in Place program — available to military family members — as a reason to join the military.

The program, as described on the DHS website, grants parole, or protection from deportation on a case-by-case basis for “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.” It’s specifically for family members of U.S. service members.

The Times reported that 11,500 military family members took advantage of the offer in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.