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Yet even with these assurances, the imagery itself has sparked deep unease. The visual impact of Marines—symbols of national defense and military strength—standing within detention facilities evokes fears that extend far beyond simple job descriptions. For immigrant families, many of whom have fled violence and instability only to find themselves in limbo at the nation’s borders, this military presence feels unmistakably coercive. The uniform carries with it a power dynamic that transforms routine administrative support into a symbol of force. To civil rights advocates, legal scholars, and many ordinary citizens, it raises urgent concerns about the normalization of military involvement in domestic affairs, especially within such a politically and emotionally charged arena.
To these critics, the fear is not merely hypothetical. Once the threshold of domestic military deployment has been crossed—even under the most narrowly defined terms—there is a risk that future administrations could expand that mission incrementally. What begins as paperwork and logistics could, over time, slip into areas once considered off-limits in a liberal democracy. The concern is not only about who is wearing the uniform, but why they are there, and whether the presence of the military in a domestic law enforcement context erodes long-standing norms that distinguish civilian governance from military authority.
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