Overview

• The leaked July 21 memo directs DHS officials to secure verbal agreements for detailing military personnel into immigration operations and integrating Defense Department planning for urban missions.
• It was authored by Philip Hegseth, senior adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and liaison to the Pentagon, signaling an effort to institutionalize long-term Guard and Marine involvement.
• The document frames transnational gangs and cartels as equivalent to Al Qaeda or ISIS cells, elevating immigration enforcement to a homeland defense priority.
• Policy experts warn the proposed military role could breach the Posse Comitatus Act, weaken civil liberties and erode the rule of law.
• The proposal builds on June deployments of nearly 5,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles and extends military support to ICE processing in 20 states.