ICE agents will screen attenders of Marine Corps graduation ceremonies

Families fear undocumented relatives could be turned away or detained at recruit celebrations in South Carolina Federal immigration agents will be stationed at Marine Corps graduation events this week, the service has announced, raising fears that undocumented relatives celebrating their loved ones’ achievements will be seized and deported. The service is presenting the unusual move as a security enhancement for family events over the next few days at the Parris Island Marine Corps recruiting depot in South Carolina. From Wednesday, relatives will be able to visit the training base, and attend a formal graduation ceremony on Friday. A message on the installation’s website cited “increased force protection measures” and said 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”. Yet similar to the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to a number of US airports this week amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, their specific responsibilities and powers were not immediately apparent. In a statement to the Guardian,