Georgia National Guard soldiers get off a plane at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., on Aug. 16, 2025. Georgia officials confirmed Guard troops were requested to support ICE operations at detention facilities. (Georgia National Guard)
National Guard troops in at least seven states will begin a federally funded mission within the next couple weeks to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement manage its swelling population of detained migrants.
The Defense Department in late July called upon 20 states to provide up to 1,700 Guard troops collectively to work within that state on case management, logistic support and clerical work to help with ICE’s growing detention operations. The troops would remain under the command of the governor.
The mission was initially intended for Marines and Reserve personnel but the Pentagon pulled back on that effort because the work involved close contact with detained migrants. The law allows Guard members to have that contact if they are on a state-run mission.
Close contact could include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, photographing people in ICE custody, and adding biographical and detention data into government systems, according to the Pentagon.
The Department of Homeland Security requested military support as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on people in the United States without authorization to be in the country. It has led to an increase in arrests and people being held in detention facilities. More than 59,000 are now held in detention by ICE — a record number, according to Trac Reports, which compiles statistics from Homeland Security.
While the Trump administration has said it is targeting people with criminal records, Trac Reports found about 70% of detainees do not have past convictions.
As of Friday, many of the selected states, all of which have a Republican governor, were in various stages of implementing orders while others had not received a request from ICE to use troops. Of those who responded to questions, most states are providing less than 100 troops for less than three months.
While Vermont declined the mission, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and Utah said their Guard has not received or finalized a mission to support ICE. The Missouri National Guard said the governor’s office and the adjutant general are still reviewing ICE’s request for support.
Utah does not have an ICE facility and Gov. Spencer Cox said the state has offered to help transport detained personnel out of the state or provide administrative help.
“We’re in active communication with the federal government,” he said this week during a news conference. “We’ll know in the next couple weeks what that looks like as they get more information back to us and we’ll be able to make that decision.”
Florida confirmed the largest deployment among the states with 200 Guard members authorized to work at nine ICE facilities across the state. Of those, 25 members were activated Aug. 8 and a timeline for the others, including an end date, was not available Friday. The ICE facilities are located in Miami, Miramar, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tampa, Tallahassee, Plantation, Fort Myers and Orlando, according to the Florida Guard.
The Virginia National Guard has tentative plans for roughly 60 soldiers and airmen to begin training for the mission by the end of August. They will be on duty by early September, according to the Virginia Guard. However, that timeline could shift, the Guard said.
The Iowa National Guard will send 20 soldiers to provide clerical, administrative and logistical support between Sept. 8 and Nov. 15, the service said in a statement.
In South Carolina, 40 National Guard members will assist in administrative duties with ICE, the Guard said. They will begin their work before the end of August and work through the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
Wyoming will provide up to 15 Guard members within the next three weeks, according to Gov. Mark Gordon.
“Our Guard is our sword and shield. Members have always answered the call, and I know they will perform this mission in accordance with their oath and with the professionalism they are known for,” Gordon said in a statement.
Nevada approved 35 soldiers, who each volunteered for the mission, to work with ICE through Nov. 15, Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office said. Troops will center their work on form filling, record maintenance, call handling, bookkeeping, report preparation, case management and vehicle maintenance. Soldiers will not have direct contact with detainees, the governor said.
The Idaho National Guard said it will provide 14 personnel to support clerical work in three ICE offices in the southern part of the state through Nov. 15.
Georgia confirmed its troops were requested to support ICE operations but did not provide any details.
Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas did not respond to questions.
