The Pentagon announced that it will permit civilian employees to aid Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel in border security and immigration enforcement operations.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on the memo, “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. Whether on the border or in our communities, allowing qualified DoD civilian employees to support DHS will accelerate the progress already made by Service members in achieving our national security goals.”
The memo, issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said that the assistance would be temporary and “may be either reimbursable or non-reimbursable.”
“Non-reimbursable details are authorized where the expected benefit of a detail would be comparable to training or development programs that otherwise would be conducted at a DoD Component’s expense,” Hegseth’s memo read, adding that more guidance is forthcoming.
The directive comes in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order clarifying the military’s role in protecting U.S. territory.
“Threats against our Nation’s sovereignty continue today, and it is essential that the Armed Forces staunchly continue to participate in the defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty. A National Emergency currently exists along the southern border of the United States. Unchecked unlawful mass migration and the unimpeded flow of opiates across our borders continue to endanger the safety and security of the American people and encourage further lawlessness,” the order read. “Accordingly, through this order, I am acting in accordance with my solemn duty to protect and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.”
