The U.S. Marine Corps, in cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has quietly launched a pilot program to station ICE agents at three major military installations: Camp Pendleton in California, Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
The move, aimed at bolstering security around these bases, has raised as many questions as it seeks to answer.
Abby Hall Blanco, a University of Tampa economics and defense professor, weighed in on the lack of transparency surrounding the program’s inception.
“Our cooperative effort with ICE at MCB Camp Pendleton, MCB Quantico and MCB Hawaii is a pilot program that aligns with the enhanced security measures we are implementing at all our installations worldwide to deter unauthorized installation access by foreign nationals.”
They said that the presence of ICE personnel “enhances installation-level force protection by increasing visibility, coordination, and threat awareness at critical access points and in surrounding areas.”
The installation of ICE personnel comes after high-profile incidents, namely the 2023 breach attempt by two Jordanian nationals at Quantico.
One of the two Jordanian nationals was later confirmed to be in the U.S. illegally, with the other a foreign student whose status was terminated, according to ICE.
Other incidents, including unauthorized drone flights over military installations and reports from The Wall Street Journal that around 100 Chinese nationals have attempted to breach U.S. military bases, add to the picture of a growing concern by the U.S. government.
Despite heightened security, Hall expressed skepticism about the implications of involving ICE.
“It gives kind of an odd impression that the Marine Corps is not handling its own security sufficiently,” she said. “Having known quite a few Marines in my time, I can’t imagine that they would find that to be a particularly flattering interpretation.”