U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has teamed with Marines in Kaneohe since May 19 to respond to inquiries on the immigration status of foreign nationals, according to a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii is one of three military installations partnering with ICE on a pilot program to ensure foreign nationals cannot enter U.S. Department of Defense facilities unauthorized.
The U.S. Marine Corps is partnering with ICE agents to work security at Camp Pendleton in California, Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
“As part of an effort at select U.S. Marine Corps bases, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working side-by-side with Marines to deter unauthorized foreign nationals from attempting to illegally gain access to select Marine Corps Bases,” read the statement from an ICE spokesperson. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protects America through enforcing the nation’s immigration laws to preserve public safety and national security.”
As of June 11, federal agents had made 117 administrative arrests for immigration law violations in Hawaii this year. More than 100 people have been arrested in Hawaii for alleged criminal violations while in the U.S. illegally.
Information on the exact number of arrests, the names of suspects, where they were arrested in Hawaii and for what reason has not been released by DHS.
Lt. John E. O’Hara, MCBH’s spokesperson, told the Star-Advertiser that Marine commanders have an inherent responsibility to ensure the “security and safety of our installations” and those who work and reside on them.
“Inter-agency collaboration is a longstanding and enduring practice that is necessary to protect the safety and security of installations,” O’Hara said. “Part of this collaboration is designed to prevent unauthorized personnel from attempting to access our installations while also ensuring adherence to appropriate authorities and respect of applicable jurisdictions. The Marine Corps, including Marine Corps Base Hawaii, continues to collaborate with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities for matters under their respective jurisdiction. The collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is no different, and it is not new. The Marine Corps has worked with DHS and its subordinate organizations since its inception in 2002.”
The first arrest arising from the pilot program was a Russian national arrested June 12 after she tried to access MCBH.
The pilot program between ICE and the Marines started May 19, and it is not immediately clear how long the program will last or if it will expand.
ICE personnel at MCBH are poised to respond to inquiries on the immigration status of foreign nationals encountered by U.S. Marine Corps security personnel, and when necessary, arrest and detain foreign nationals. U.S. immigration officers have the authority to “question, without warrant, any alien or person believed to be an alien concerning his or her right to be, or to remain, in the United States.”
Members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation were not notified of the pilot program between ICE and the Marine Corps before it started in Kaneohe on May 19.
Hawaii is the test bed for at least two new ICE initiatives designed to meet President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to pull off the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.
The Federal Detention Center in Honolulu will be used to house ICE detainees in two separate housing units for men and women, U.S. Rep. Ed Case confirmed Friday. FDC Honolulu is one of three U.S. Bureau of Prisons facilities recently approved to house immigrant detainees, bringing the total number to eight.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz told the Star-Advertiser he was not notified nor briefed on the pilot program between ICE and the Marines.
“The idea that MCBH, with thousands of Marines, needs any additional security assistance at all — and from ICE, no less — is puzzling,” said Schatz. “We need more answers on what problem they are trying to solve and why this program is even necessary.”
Case told the Star-Advertiser that he doesn’t have details on any such arrangement, however, military authorities should “generally cooperate with civilian law enforcement regarding claimed illegal activity on military bases as long as defense security is preserved.”
“This includes illegal immigrants, who should not be on our military bases,” Case said.
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, whose district includes Marine Corps Base Hawaii, said that she contacted base command after the pilot program was brought to her attention.
“My understanding is the pilot has ended,” Tokuda said Tuesday in a statement. “The reality is that the H3 ends at MCBH and tourists from other countries may easily and inadvertently find themselves at the entry of the base. While this could pose a security risk, it does not necessarily imply nefarious intent. In many cases, these are simply lost tourists.
“Our top priority for MCBH should be ensuring national security and the safety of our service members and their families. In line with that, I encourage the base to work with local law enforcement and entities like NCIS. I question the appropriateness and feasibility of a ICE’s continued physical presence on bases here in Hawaii.”
U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono did not immediately reply to a Star-Advertiser request for comment.
Three-quarters of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, excluding Case, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on July 1.
The same three Hawaii congressional delegates sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security condemning ICE’s tactics in the islands and demanding basic information about arrests and deportations.
Case did not sign on to the letter, saying he agreed with the main message but didn’t think it captured his constituents’ “broader views on immigration.”
Noem has not yet responded to the Hawaii lawmakers.
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Star-Advertiser writer Kevin Knodell contributed to this report.
Source: The Garden Island