National Guard to fingerprint, DNA swab immigrant detainees to help ICE
The Pentagon announced on July 25 that 1,700 National Guard personnel – 1,200 already deployed plus 500 additional troops – will work on "case management, transportation and logistical support, and clerical support for the in- and out-processing" of ICE arrests.
The duties of some will also include taking DNA swabs, photographs and fingerprints of people held at ICE facilities, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Guard troops have already started to arrive at ICE offices.
More: 'Speedway Slammer' immigration jail set to be Trump's next 'Alligator Alcatraz'
In Florida, 25 of the 200 National Guard personnel that will "backfill" nine ICE offices across the state arrived on Aug. 5, according to William Manley, a spokesperson for the Florida National Guard.
"We anticipate that our Guardsmen will be performing administrative/clerical tasks, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, photography and transportation support," Manley said.
The Florida National Guard personnel will replace 200 Marines deployed in early July to take on "administrative, clerical and logistics" duties at the state's ICE facilities, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command.
More: July jobs report may show growing impact of Trump's immigration crackdown
National Guard troops could take on similar roles at ICE offices in 20 additional states with Republican governors, including Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, according to Maj. Micah Maxwell, a National Guard Bureau spokesperson.
South Carolina has received a request for 40 troops, and Louisiana for 70 troops, according to spokespeople for those state's National Guard bureaus.
The Trump administration deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles over widespread immigration raids. The majority – more than 3,000 – have been recalled.
Troops tapped by red state governors to backfill ICE offices
Unlike those troops, the Guardsmen now tapped to help with ICE arrests will be deployed on the orders of the two dozen states' Republican governors. That means they are not subject to legal prohibitions on federal troops performing law enforcement functions.
Tapping the troops to play an integrated role in processing ICE arrests is still cause for concern, said Joseph Nunn, counsel in the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.
"If you're deploying the military domestically to assist with immigration enforcement, you are pulling personnel resources and attention away from the military's core national security responsibilities," Nunn said. That includes the Guard's "traditional" responsibilities, like disaster relief and response, he added.
Integrating troops into internal law enforcement operations farther from the border risks making them a regular "presence in ICE offices ... across the country," he said.
It opens up the possibility of "the military's seemingly permanent presence at the U.S.-Mexico border ... moving into the interior of the country," he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Guard to assist ICE in 20 states with processing duties
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier slept in House chamber after refusing GOP-mandated permission slip to leave
Claim: In August 2025, Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, slept overnight in the state House chamber because Republicans mandated that no Democratic lawmakers could not leave without a "permission slip" and a police escort, conditions she refused to accept. Rating: Context: Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Texas Republicans announced they would redraw the state's U.S. congressional district maps mid-decade. The new maps projected that Republicans would gain five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democratic lawmakers protested the redistricting by leaving the state and preventing the quorum needed for a legislative vote on the redistricting. When the Democrats returned, Republicans mandated they not be allowed to leave the House chamber without a "permission slip" and a police escort, ostensibly to prevent them from leaving the state again. On Aug. 18, 2025, posts appeared on social media platforms, including Facebook, Reddit and X, claiming that Texas Republicans in the state House of Representatives had locked state Rep. Nicole Collier, a Democrat from Fort Worth, in the House chamber overnight, refusing to allow her to leave until she signed a "permission slip" and agreed to a police escort. Snopes readers wrote in and searched the site for more information about the incident. The claim is true. It was reported in several reliable publications, including The Texas Tribune, CBS News and NBC News. Collier posted to her X account on Aug. 19 showing her sleeping in the House. Collier's decision to remain in the House chamber rather than accept the Republicans' conditions was the latest development in a long chain of events that began in June 2025 when The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump was pushing the state of Texas to redraw its federal congressional districts mid-decade in order to preserve the thin Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. District maps are generally drawn every decade following the census. Redrawing them mid-decade without being ordered to do so by a court is rare, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Texas is one of 26 states where the state legislators have the power to draw the maps. State Republicans, who control a majority in both legislative houses, agreed to redistrict, and submitted a congressional map that would likely turn five Democratic seats into Republican seats. State Democrats (and many Texans) protested the move. However, the Democratic Party hasn't held a majority in Texas since 2002, giving them very little power in the legislature to stop the redistricting proposal. According to The Texas Tribune, however, there is one option that both political parties in the state have used to delay legislation since as early as 1870 — denying a quorum. In order for a legislature to vote on a measure, a certain number of representatives must be present. This number is called a quorum. Without the politicians, no votes. So, state Democrats left Texas to block the redistricting bill's passage. Republican officials retaliated by issuing civil arrest warrants for the missing Democrats, although the move was largely symbolic because the warrants applied only within state lines. They also "moved to extradite absent members from Illinois, launched investigations and sought to declare at least one Democrat's seat vacant," according to The Texas Tribune. The missing Democrats returned to Texas following California Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement of a ballot initiative that would let that state redraw its own congressional districts to counteract the Texas redistricting. State House Speaker Dustin Burrows said Democrats would be given a permission slip that allowed them to leave the House on the condition that they were given an "around-the-clock escort" by Texas state troopers to ensure they did not attempt to break the legislative quorum again. Collier refused the police escort, meaning she would not be allowed to leave the state House until the next day when the body reconvened. "I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts," Collier said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. "When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents — I won't just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination." Astudillo, By Carla. "Texas Republicans' Redistricting Map: How the GOP Could Increase Its Stronghold." The Texas Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025, Betts, By Hayden. "Denying Quorum Has Been a Texas Political Strategy since 1870." The Texas Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025, Davisson, Matthew, and Jack Fink. Texas Democrat Says She's Locked inside State Capitol after Refusing Mandatory DPS Escort - CBS Texas. 19 Aug. 2025, Eckman, Sarah J., and Whitaker L. Paige. Mid-Decade Congressional Redistricting: Key Issues. In Focus, IF13082, Congressional Research Service, "Fort Worth Rep. Nicole Collier Refuses to Leave Texas House, Protesting State Trooper Escorts." KERA News, 19 Aug. 2025, Goodman, J. David, and Shane Goldmacher. "White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains." The New York Times, 9 Jun. 2025, Governor Abbott Orders Texas Department Of Public Safety To Arrest Delinquent House Democrats. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025. Guo, By Kayla. "Rep. Nicole Collier Spends Night on Texas House Floor after Refusing Police Escort." The Texas Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025, ---. "Texas House Democrats Return to Capitol, Ending Walkout over Redistricting Plan." The Texas Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025, Izzo, Jack. "This Democratic US House District in Texas Is Real, but It Was Drawn by Republicans." Snopes, 8 Aug. 2025, Klibanoff, By Eleanor. "Texas House Issues Arrest Warrants for Democrats Who Left State to Block Congressional Redistricting." The Texas Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025, Koseff, Alexei. "5 Things to Know about Gavin Newsom's Plan to Redraw California's Election Maps." CalMatters, 18 Aug. 2025. Lewis, Daniel. 'We've Had Enough': Texas Democrat Who Slept on State House Floor Speaks out | CNN Politics. 2025. "National Overview." All About Redistricting, Accessed 19 Aug. 2025. "Party Control of Texas State Government." Ballotpedia, Accessed 19 Aug. 2025. "Texas Democratic Legislator Is Sleeping in the State Capitol after Refusing Security Escort to Leave." NBC News, 19 Aug. 2025, Tracy, Matt. "Over 300 Protests Held Saturday against Trump Redistricting Push." Reuters, 17 Aug. 2025.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Student killed in stabbing at high school after fight escalates: Police
A student was killed in a stabbing at a Phoenix high school on Tuesday in what school officials called a "senseless tragedy." The incident occurred at Maryvale High School, officials said. Officers responded to the school around 11 a.m. to a call for a stabbing, Phoenix police said. Phoenix Commander David Saflar said the incident "started off with a fight between two students, and escalated." MORE: Search on for suspect who stabbed ranger in state park near Denver: Police School staff notified the on-campus school safety officer, who detained one of the people involved, according to Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano. Two students were transported to an area hospital, including one with life-threatening injuries, police said. A male student has since died, officials said. "What happened today at Maryvale is truly a tragedy," Saflar said at a press briefing Tuesday. No additional suspects are being sought, he said. The Phoenix Police Department is investigating the incident. No further details are being released at this time, said police, who have not provided any details on the weapon used in the stabbing or the students involved. Authorities urged anyone with information, including any cellphone footage, to reach out to police. Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Thea Andrade said the district is cooperating fully with the investigation. "Maryvale is a beautiful, resilient community and I am shocked and deeply saddened by what took place here today," Andrade said at the press briefing, calling the incident a "senseless tragedy." The school will be on a modified schedule on Wednesday to provide "extensive emotional support and counseling to our students and to our staff," Andrade said. MORE: Texas teen indicted for murder in fatal stabbing of another student at track meet Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego thanked the first responders and police and said more information will be released as it becomes available. "Tomorrow, it will be a hard moment to drop a kid off at school, and so to the parents out there, know that we are working as hard as we can to make sure that schools are as safe as possible," Gallego said at the briefing. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne called the deadly stabbing a "terrible tragedy." "Schools must be safe places," Horne said in a statement. "This terrible incident reinforces my commitment to doing everything possible to make schools safe.'
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump's White House Joins TikTok
President Trump has started an official White House account on TikTok, deepening his ties with the Chinese-owned social media company as he repeatedly declines to enforce a federal law that would ban the company's app because of national security concerns. The first post by @WhiteHouse on TikTok — showing Mr. Trump at various events while dramatic music plays — referenced a viral video on the social media site that featured footage from the movie 'Creed' and music by the rapper Kendrick Lamar. The White House's embrace of TikTok continues a remarkable turnabout for Mr. Trump, who tried to ban the platform in his first term. Mr. Trump created a personal account in June 2024, and his popularity on the app soared amid his effort to court TikTok's predominantly younger voters. Donors to Mr. Trump and the company's executives have also undertaken a lobbying effort to prevent TikTok from going dark in the United States. Mr. Trump's return to TikTok — the last post on his personal account was on Election Day — is the latest sign that he has little intention of enforcing the national security ban on the app. The ban stemmed from a 2024 law that requires app stores and cloud computing providers to stop distributing or hosting TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. A bipartisan coalition in Congress passed the law over concerns that the Chinese government could use the app to gather information about Americans or spread propaganda. After drawing a devoted following on TikTok that supported his successful re-election bid, the president-elect threw the app an unexpected lifeline in its quest to continue operating in the United States. Hours after the federal law banning the app took effect in the final days of the Biden administration, Mr. Trump said that he would issue an executive order to delay the enforcement of the ban. The law has a section allowing Mr. Trump to grant a 90-day extension if a buyer is found, but only if there is 'significant progress' toward a deal that puts TikTok in the hands of a non-Chinese company. Mr. Trump made several additional extensions anyway. TikTok has until mid-September to find a new owner, but Mr. Trump could grant another extension.
