Democratic candidate for Congress Mac Deford today condemned the decision to station federal law enforcement personnel, including ICE agents, at access points during Marine Corps recruit family and graduation events at Parris Island.
Parris Island is located in Beaufort County, meaning this policy is being carried out in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District — the district Deford is seeking to represent in Congress. Parris Island has trained Marine recruits for generations.
“This is happening right here in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District,” said Deford. “At a place that has, for generations, turned young Americans into United States Marines. A Marine Corps graduation should be a moment of pride for families, not a moment of fear created by their own government.”
Deford, a Coast Guard veteran and former federal law enforcement officer, said the policy is "especially disgraceful at a time when the administration has already put American troops in greater danger through a new conflict in the Middle East." Reports today say the ICE deployment to Parris Island graduation events comes amid heightened tensions tied to U.S. military action involving Iran.
“This administration is risking American lives in an unlawful war in the Middle East without the congressional authorization the Constitution demands, and now it wants to turn one of the proudest moments in a Marine’s life into an immigration checkpoint here at home,” Deford said. “That is a disgrace to every man and woman stepping up to serve our nation in uniform.”
Deford said military service reflects the best of America and should unite, not divide, the country.
“When I graduated from basic training, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Americans from every walk of life — black, white, Hispanic, men and women, people from different backgrounds and different stories, all serving one country,” Deford said. “That is what military service is supposed to represent. So when this administration sends ICE to a Marine Corps graduation, it is not just bad policy. It is an insult to the very spirit of military service.”
Deford also called on leaders in both parties to speak out.
“No serious leader in South Carolina should stay silent while military families are intimidated at Parris Island,” Deford said. “If you want to represent the Lowcountry, then you ought to be willing to say clearly that military families in our district deserve respect, dignity, and better than this.”