The Trump administration is deploying around 200 Marines to the state of Florida to aid the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its immigration operations, the US Northern Command said in a statement.
"Approximately 200 Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, are conducting a movement to Florida, to augment U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) interior immigration enforcement mission with critical administrative and logistical capabilities at locations as directed by ICE," NORTHCOM said in a statement on Thursday.
"These Marines are the first wave of US Northern Command's (USNORTHCOM's) support of this ICE mission."
The statement signalled that other support locations will include the states of Louisiana and Texas.
It added that the members' duties will be only administrative and logistical, and they will be prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody.
Los Angeles turmoil
The announcement came weeks after immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, California, turned into a violent confrontation between ICE agents and protesters.
After initial clashes, Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard and Marines to the second-largest city in the US, who made arrests of civilians, throwing the city into turmoil.
Both California's Governor, Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have pushed back against the use of the military in LA and accused the president of "illegal militarisation of Los Angeles."
Trump later ordered ICE to expand immigration raids to Democratic-controlled cities, signalling a potential repetition of the turmoil in Los Angeles.
