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A leaked memo from the Department of Homeland Security suggests that the Trump administration is considering using the U.S. military to boost its ongoing mass deportation agenda, while acknowledging the deployment of troops in Los Angeles earlier this year wasn’t “perfect."
The memo was written by DHS senior adviser Phil Hegseth, the brother of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The New Republic published the texts on Saturday.
President Donald Trump has already used U.S. military personnel in his aggressive deportation campaign. In June, Trump nationalized approximately 5,000 National Guard members and sent them to LA to push back against protesters demonstrating against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids in their neighborhoods.
In addition to the National Guard members, Trump also sent 700 U.S. Marines to the city to stomp out the "violent insurrectionist mob."
Most of the military members sent to LA have since been pulled out of the city.
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The DHS memo outlines a June 21 meeting between senior DHS and Pentagon officials, according to The New Republic, and suggests that U.S. military members will be needed to carry out Trump’s deportation efforts for "years to come."
Top level officials from both agencies, including Hegseth and acting ICE commissioner Todd Lyons, were listed as participants, the outlet reported.
The memo advises departments on how they can "better plan for national security and illegal immigration" via three action items, including utilizing the Pentagon's "nationwide operational planning capabilities."
"The U.S. military leadership (the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and NORTHCOM) need to feel — for the first time — the urgency of the homeland defense mission. They need to understand the threat, what’s at stake, and the political importance the administration has placed on this issue," the memo reads.
Later in the memo, it acknowledges that the troop deployment to LA didn't go the way the Trump administration had hoped. It does suggest that they are expecting similar operations to be carried out in the future, however.
“Everyone here is also aware of our joint work in L.A.,” it states. “It hasn’t been perfect, and we’re still working through best practices together, but I think it’s a good indicator of the type of operations (and resistance) we’re going to be working through for years to come.”
The Independent has requested comment from the Department of Homeland Security.
