The Virginia National Guard mobilized 40 soldiers and airmen this week to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with non-law enforcement duties, Virginia National Guard officials announced Friday.
The troops were mobilized Monday and are serving at ICE field offices across Virginia, where they are performing clerical and logistical tasks such as answering phones, appointment scheduling, biometric collection, tracking expenses and vehicle maintenance.
Additional Guardsmen drawn from units across Virginia are expected to join the effort later this month to reach a total of up to approximately 60 for mission, with the mission continuing through Nov. 15, according to a Virginia National Guard release.
“VNG [Virginia National Guard] personnel will not conduct law enforcement functions, and VNG support will not include making arrests,” the Virginia National Guard told Military Times in a statement.
The Virginia National Guard worked with ICE officials in the state to develop the plan for the Guard’s supporting role, according to the release. The Guardsmen will report directly to ICE leadership at their assigned field offices, but will remain under the authority of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia National Guard said.
The deployment of Virginia Guardsmen to support ICE was announced in August, Military Times previously reported.
National Guard troops serve under the authority of their respective state governors, with few exceptions to this rule. In July, the Defense Department announced that Guard units supporting ICE would operate under Title 32 status, meaning that, although their role is federally funded, the Guardsmen will remain under the control of their state governors.
Although levels of current National Guard support to ICE are unprecedented, the Guard has actively cooperated with law enforcement agencies across various states for decades on non-law enforcement tasks, including in California and Colorado.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
