President Trump is sending 200 Marines to assist with ICE operations in Florida. This move will no doubt draw the attention of the left and the legacy media (but I repeat myself) and, in this case, for no real reason; the Marines won't be out there rounding up illegal aliens.
Even The Hill has to grudgingly admit that.
The Trump administration is sending some 200 Marines to Florida to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its deportation raids in the state, the U.S. military announced Thursday.
The Marines, which will come from Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 based in New River, N.C., will support ICE in its “interior immigration enforcement mission” via “critical administrative and logistical capabilities at locations as directed” by the agency, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command (Northcom).
The release noted that the Marines are just the “first wave” of service members to help ICE in its deportation efforts, with other deployments expected in Louisiana and Texas.
I'm going to poke The Hill a little, as their headline implies that the Marines will be used as part of the "immigration crackdown," and even their first sentence implies that; it's only later that we read that the Marines will only be used in non-law enforcement roles.
Northcom stressed that service members participating in this mission will perform “strictly non-law enforcement duties” within ICE facilities, with roles focused on administrative and logistical tasks.
“They are specifically prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody or involvement in any aspect of the custody chain,” according to the statement.
That's pretty clear, and probably should have been stated up front.
With that said, this is an interesting move. The Marines are rough customers, as they say, no better friend, no worse enemy. Any bad guy on the planet would (or, at least, should) feel a little trepidation on facing the USMC. But the Marines aren't being sent to Florida to be rounding up illegal aliens and tossing them in the pokey pending repatriation. No, they'll be there, as the story says, to fill administrative and logistical tasks.
See Also: Imagining a Military for American Defense
CNN Sinks Further: Now, They're Questioning the Citizenship of Trump's Kids
That last one is key. Every large operation like this, a nationwide effort to round up, detain, and repatriate as many as 20 million people who are in the United States illegally, will by necessity have an enormous logistical tail. This isn't a war-not in the traditional sense-but it's still an enormous operation. And there are no organizations on the planet better at handling daunting logistical tasks than the American armed forces. Every war in history has been won, not by strategy and tactics alone, but by logistics.
The side that keeps the most beans and bullets moving forward generally wins. In this war on illegal immigration, the side that can keep the most vehicles moving, the most agents in the field properly trained, fed, and equipped, will be the one that wins this conflict. The armed forces can provide expert assistance with this, and in so doing, free up ICE and Homeland Security agents to go out there and enforce immigration law.
Sounds like a win-win to me.
Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
Help us continue exposing Democrats' plans to lead America down a dangerous path. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member