U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will work alongside base security at three Marine installations as part of a pilot program to prevent foreign nationals from unlawfully accessing the bases.
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California officials announced the program on May 16. Officials told Military.com that the initiative will also take place at Marine Corps bases Quantico and Hawaii.
“Marine and family readiness start at our bases and stations, and the safety and security of our Marines, sailors, family members, civilian employees and all who work and have proper access to Marine Corps installations are of the utmost importance,” Capt. Kevin Uebelhardt, a spokesperson for Headquarters Marine Corps, said in an email statement.
Officials at Camp Pendleton did not disclose how many times unauthorized access had occurred at the facility in recent years or provide further details regarding the origin of any individuals who had unlawfully obtained access to the base.
In 2023 the Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese nationals had accessed military facilities an estimated 100 times over a period of years. The news outlet cited unnamed sources for that report.
“There is no impact on military or civilian personnel, dependents, or those lawfully entering our military installation,” 2nd Lt. Anna Hornick, a Pendleton spokesperson, told Military.com “This cooperation may lead to longer processing times at entry point, but day-to-day life on base will remain unchanged.”
ICE agents are supporting base security by assisting with identity verification and gate screening, according to a release.
The release also said most unauthorized access attempts are unintentional, often resulting from confusion over GPS directions. However, some “present deliberate security risks.”
“This interagency cooperative effort is being evaluated for effectiveness and scalability,” according to the release. “Its success may inform future iterations across other Marine Corps installations, particularly those proximate to border regions, ports of entry, or critical infrastructure corridors.”
Uebelhardt told Military.com that the collaboration with ICE is not in response to a specific incident.
Rather, the effort is “part of an ongoing effort to constantly improve our security posture to protect our most valued resource: our people,” Uebelhardt said.
“Cooperation between installation law enforcement and ICE continues a history of teamwork that dates back to the establishment of [the Department of Homeland Security].”
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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