500 Marines and sailors from California's Camp Pendleton are headed to the southern border

Erika I. Ritchie, The Orange County Register on Jan 23, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Troops from California's Camp Pendleton have been ordered to immediately deploy to the nation’s southern border, Marine Corps officials announced Thursday.

The 500 Marines and sailors from the I Marine Expeditionary Force will be tasked “to carry out directed missions called for by the president to secure the border and protect and defend the territorial integrity of the United States,” IMEF officials said. The deployment is through the U.S. Northern Command and Joint Task Force North.

President Donald Trump took office Monday and quickly declared a national emergency at the southern border, directing the Department of Defense to help address the situation.

The troops are part of a deployment of 1,500 service members announced Wednesday by Department of Defense officials to “augment troops already conducting enforcement operations in that region,” acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said in a statement.

The Camp Pendleton Marines and sailors being sent had previously been prepared to assist with wildfires in California, but were never called upon, a DOD official said in a Thursday call with media.

The deployment also includes 1,000 Army personnel. The troops will initially work to physically reinforce the border in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, and aerial support is being added to assist with the movements of troops, he said.

In 2023, about 200 Camp Pendleton Marines and Sailors were also ordered to the border to work with Customs and Border Protection as pandemic restrictions expired and a surge of migrants arrived.

In 2018, about 1,100 Camp Pendleton Marines deployed to the border as caravans of migrants from Central America approached.

Marines then supported the Border Patrol agents by helping build barriers, barricades and fencing. They also worked as medical teams, set up command and control facilities, constructed temporary housing for Customs and Border Protection personnel, and provided personal protective equipment for those troops.

_____