By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) – U.S. federal law enforcement personnel will be present at an upcoming Marine Corps graduation, according to a message on the corps’ Parris Island website, a move the South Carolina base has described as the first of its kind in recent memory.
NBC News on Monday reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be stationed outside Marine graduation events at Parris Island to identify whether any of the graduates’ family members lack legal immigration status.
The Department of Homeland Security said on social media that ICE would not make arrests at the event. It did not respond when reached for comment on whether the agency will be present.
The message on the Parris Island website did not indicate what kind of federal law enforcement would be present, but said federal personnel would be there for security and logistics.
“Due to increased force protection measures and to expedite enhanced base access procedures, federal law enforcement personnel will be present at installation access points during Recruit Family and Graduation Days,” the message said.
The graduation will be held on Friday for recruits who complete a 13-week training program at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
Parris Island is one of two recruit depots responsible for training enlisted Marines. The other is a West Coast facility in San Diego, California. That site, which also has a graduation on Friday, did not mention a federal law enforcement presence on its website.
Roughly 20,000 recruits graduate annually from Parris Island, where a training site has operated since 1915.
“While the Marine Corps routinely coordinates with federal partners on security matters, this is the first time in recent memory that federal law enforcement agencies have supported base access operations at Parris Island in this capacity,” a spokesperson for the base told NBC News.
A spokesperson for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
