The Pentagon announced on Monday that it would deploy civilian Department of Defense (DoD) employees to assist with border security and immigration enforcement operations.
The move marks an expansion of military resources supporting domestic immigration efforts.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the temporary reassignment of qualified DoD civilian personnel to the Department of Homeland Security, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. The initiative reflects the administration’s continued focus on border control priorities.
“Protecting our homeland from bad actors and illegal substances has been a focus of the President and of the Secretary of Defense since Day One of this Administration,” Parnell said in a statement. He added, “Allowing qualified DoD civilian employees to support DHS will accelerate the progress already made by Service members in achieving our national security goals.”
The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will coordinate the temporary assignments with DHS officials. Details about the number of personnel involved or specific deployment locations were not immediately provided.
Military involvement in border operations has expanded significantly in recent years. Active-duty troops and National Guard units have previously supported Customs and Border Protection through surveillance, logistics, and infrastructure projects.
This latest directive extends that support to include Pentagon civilian staff. The assignments will cover both border security operations and interior immigration enforcement activities.
Pentagon officials emphasized the deployments would support “critical ongoing operations” at DHS. The memorandum outlining the new policy was released on June 2.