The Marine Corps says ICE officers will be posted at entry points for family days and graduation ceremonies at MCRD Parris Island to carry out immigration-status screening as part of heightened force-protection measures. Visitors are required to present REAL IDs, U.S. passports, or U.S. birth certificates; those without such documents may face questioning. DHS stated that ICE will not be making arrests at the graduation, and base officials urged guests to bring proper ID and expect additional screening.
ICE Officers To Screen Visitors At Parris Island Graduation; DHS Says No Arrests Planned
The Marine Corps Recruiting Depot at Parris Island, S.C., in 2022. (Stephen B. Morton / AP)(Stephen B. Morton)
WASHINGTON — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will be stationed at access points for family days and graduation ceremonies at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, the Marine Corps said. The agency said the presence of federal officers is part of heightened force-protection measures at the base and is intended to verify lawful immigration status for visitors who lack required identification.
Why Officers Will Be Present
The Marine Corps has tightened base-entry requirements amid heightened tensions related to the conflict with Iran, requiring anyone seeking entry to present a REAL ID, a U.S. passport, or a U.S. birth certificate. Because undocumented immigrants generally lack those documents, visitors arriving without proper ID during recruit family days and graduation events may be subject to additional questioning by federal personnel, the Marine Corps said.
What Officials Say
A notice on the Parris Island website said that, because of "increased force protection measures," federal law enforcement personnel will be present at installation access points to conduct enhanced screening and lawful immigration-status inquiries during recruit family and graduation days.
“ICE will not be making arrests at the basic training graduation in Parris Island, SC,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
Event Details And Guidance For Visitors
Graduation is scheduled for Friday morning, and family members may visit the base beginning Wednesday to celebrate recruits’ completion of their training. Recruits themselves are barred from seeing family members while undergoing the 13-week boot camp.
A spokesperson for MCRD Parris Island said this is the first recent instance of federal law enforcement supporting base access operations at the installation in this way, and advised visitors to expect additional screening. Guests were urged to bring proper identification and to limit the number of items they carry onto the installation to help speed the entry process.
Context And Unanswered Questions
Marines have trained at Parris Island since November 1915; the depot holds graduations roughly 46 weeks per year. It remains unclear whether ICE’s presence at gates is a temporary measure tied to this week’s events or the beginning of a broader, ongoing practice that could be extended to other military installations.
Note: The Marine Corps and DHS emphasized the security and screening purpose of the measures; DHS has denied plans to make arrests at the graduation itself.
Help us improve.
