Quantico, Va. –
NCIS Director Omar Lopez visited California and Arizona Feb. 18-20 to see firsthand the work being done by the U.S. Marine Corps to secure the southern border, as well as NCIS’ efforts to keep those Marines safe from harm.
The NCIS Marine West Field Office, Southwest Field Office, and multiple other NCIS elements are working with a number of agencies and groups, including Northern Command/Joint Task Force North , USMC (I Marine Expeditionary Force/1st Marine Division), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (San Diego, El Centro and Yuma sectors), Task Force-West National Guard, Chula Vista Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office to maintain security and provide force protection for the 500 active-duty Marines currently deployed at the southern border.
“NCIS is fully committed to defending the homeland and safeguarding our warfighters,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “We are applying our law enforcement and counterintelligence capabilities and integrating with partners to help secure the southern border, combat threats, and strengthen the lethality and readiness of our forces.”
Through its work with local law enforcement and CBP, NCIS is delivering regular counterintelligence and force protection briefs to USMC leaders to ensure they can make informed decisions.
The NCIS Security Training Assistance and Assessment Team and NCIS Regional Enforcement Capabilities Team are also conducting site surveys and risk assessments to identify security vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to ensure the safety of Marines. This includes working closely with USMC intelligence partners and local police to identify areas where Marines should avoid while on liberty.
“The reconstruction and reinforcement of the border remains a high priority to reduce the threats crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on a daily basis,” said NCIS Marine West Field Office Special Agent in Charge Michael Payne. “NCIS is ensuring the Marines can execute their mission safely by developing a comprehensive threat picture of the current and future landscape of the border and the surrounding areas. NCIS' engagement with our law enforcement and intelligence partners is enabling the information flow between agencies to allow leaders to make informed decisions.”
The NCIS Marine West and Southwest Field Offices have long been well-postured to combat threats to the southern border as active participants in multiple local and regional task forces and working groups with local, federal, and Mexican law enforcement partners to combat human trafficking and the flow of fentanyl across the land and maritime borders.