Division of The Pentagon is placing extra stress on its staff to volunteer to assist the Division of Homeland Safety’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth stated in a Feb. 19 memo to civilians throughout the Division of Protection:all supervisors Encourage civilian staff to: volunteer. Leaders should proceed to advertise this detailed program and educate civilians about its significance. ” The memo, titled “Division of the Military Steering Encouraging Assist to the Division of Homeland Safety’s Southern Border and Home Immigration Enforcement Missions,” was despatched to hundreds of Protection Division civilian staff. Memo was first Reported by GovExec It was additionally seen on WIRED.
This process follows Hegseth’s June 2025 memo. authorized For army personnel, particulars should be reported to DHS. However one Military civilian, who spoke to WIRED on situation of anonymity for concern of retaliation, stated there may be now “undoubtedly extra stress, not less than within the oversight community.”
The Division of Protection and Division of Homeland Safety didn’t reply to requests for remark.
“When the primary memo was launched, I obtained the compulsory announcement electronic mail, however nobody talked about it in any respect, so I utterly forgot about it,” says the Military civilian. “I do not know anybody who obtained that job.” statement Since August 2025, the Division of Protection claims that “almost 500 DoD civilians have registered to take part, bringing their talent units to taking part DHS companies’ border safety and immigration missions.”
“Whereas particulars and different short-term skilled improvement alternatives are widespread for Military civilians, we’ve by no means heard of supervisors being required to approve such particulars,” they are saying.
The worker famous that as a part of the Trump administration’s efforts to chop authorities jobs within the identify of “effectivity,” Hegseth has: Reduce department headcount. “Consequently, I ended up taking on the duties for which I used to be employed, in addition to these of three colleagues who left,” they are saying. This implies it’s troublesome for departments to lose any extra personnel or for workers to depart current tasks. The official stated one of these request for volunteer work at one other federal company is “very uncommon.” The Pentagon additionally would not have time in the meanwhile. Mr. Hegseth and the Pentagon management are at the moment engaged on: Directing the US role in the conflict with Iran.
Division of Protection staff who want to volunteer to offer an in depth briefing to DHS should: Apply through USAJobs. The Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA), a part of DHS, will evaluate functions, based on the job posting. Volunteers might be deployed not solely to the southern border, but additionally to “a number of ICE and CBP amenities within the inside of the US.”
Some volunteer roles might look like routine duties corresponding to “information entry”, however others could also be concerned in immigration duties. These embody helping ICE and CBP in “growing operational ideas and marketing campaign plans to conduct inside arrests and raids and patrols alongside the Southwest border.” It’ll assist ICE and CBP “handle the bodily circulation of detained unlawful aliens from arrest to deportation, and associated information administration.” and “handle the logistics plan for transferring legislation enforcement personnel, operational capabilities, and help tools all through the US.”
The memo is simply the most recent in a collection of adjustments throughout the federal authorities aimed toward imposing President Donald Trump’s immigration insurance policies. On the Division of Housing and City Improvement, new guidelines bar households with immigrants from receiving sure types of help from the company, and on the Common Providers Administration, officers are being requested to assist ICE procure new bodily house throughout the nation.
