Pentagon approves civilian deployment to assist Homeland Security at southern US border

HAMILTON, Canada

The Pentagon announced Monday that it will allow civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DoD) to temporarily assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in operations related to US border security and immigration enforcement.

"Today the Secretary of Defense authorized the DoD Components to detail qualified Department of Defense civilian employees to support the Department of Homeland Security’s border security efforts as well as interior immigration enforcement," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.

Noting that the support will be carried out via temporary assignments of civilian personnel, the Defense Department said these assignments may be either reimbursable or non-reimbursable, depending on whether the detail provides training or professional development benefits similar to other programs.

Parnell noted that the decision reflects the Trump administration's continued focus on securing the southern US border "from bad actors and illegal substances."

"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," he added.

Officials said the deployments will follow established DHS procedures.