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The Pentagon has officially announced a new policy allowing qualified civilian employees from the Department of Defense to voluntarily support the Department of Homeland Security in US border security and interior immigration enforcement operations.

Getting into it: In a statement released by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the Department of Defense outlined a new policy authorizing civilian employees to assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with border security and immigration enforcement efforts. “Today the Secretary of Defense authorized the DoD Components to detail qualified Department of Defense civilian employees to support the Department of Homeland Security’s border security efforts as well as interior immigration enforcement,” Parnell said.

He added, “Protecting our homeland from bad actors and illegal substances has been a focus of the President and of the Secretary of Defense since Day One of this Administration. Whether on the border or in our communities, allowing qualified DoD civilian employees to support DHS will accelerate the progress already made by Service members in achieving our national security goals.”

While the Pentagon has not yet specified the number of civilian employees expected to participate or the exact nature of their duties, the roles will likely complement those already performed by military personnel at the southern border, including surveillance, logistics, and administrative support. The civilian deployments will also extend to interior enforcement, supporting broader immigration control initiatives.

These assignments can either be reimbursable (where DHS or DoD covers the costs) or non-reimbursable, which would be permitted when the assignment is deemed to provide professional development benefits comparable to formal DoD training programs. According to the memo signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, factors such as job relevance, professional growth potential, and length of detail will determine whether the assignment qualifies as reimbursable.