A Marine who serves with the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton is being held by U.S. Border Patrol agents after being arrested for allegedly bringing migrants across the border, military officials announced Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The junior-enlisted Marine, who serves with Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, was arrested at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday by Border Patrol agents near the San Ysidro port of entry, said 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, a spokesman for the 1st Marine Division.
The Marine is being held in civilian custody. Border Patrol and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are investigating.
This is the first time a Marine at Camp Pendleton has been accused of bringing migrants across the border, Edinburgh said.
“We will continue to cooperate with civilian authorities on this case going forward,” he said. “The Marine has not served in the Southwest Border Support Mission.”
Just a few days earlier, the 1st Marine Division agreed to settlements with 13 Camp Pendleton Marines arrested in July on charges of human trafficking, drug distribution, and weapons charges. They were dismissed from the Marine Corps with no criminal record.
Six other Marines pleaded guilty during courts-martial and are awaiting sentences and four are awaiting their court-martial dates. In these cases, the Marines were charged with transporting migrants who already had crossed the border.
“We don’t have any reason to believe it’s connected to the July incident,” Major Kendra Motz, a spokeswoman for the 1st Marine Division, said of the most recent case.
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