Chaos and Confusion at Camp Pendleton

From Ben Fox's 10-18-25 POLITICO article entitled "Vance Presides Over Traffic-halting Display of Military Power in California":

CAMP PENDLETON, California — JD Vance delivered a pep talk to the Marine Corps amid a massive display of military firepower Saturday that prompted California authorities to shut down one of the busiest stretches of highway in the nation.

The vice president made no mention of the “No Kings” protests that erupted around the nation that same day, including one that drew tens of thousands of people to nearby San Diego, and avoided politics except for a swipe at Democrats over the shutdown and at diversity initiatives.

“When officials try to shift focus, to mandating diversity quotas, where they try to inject partisan politics into the American armed forces, they impede the Marine Corps’ ability to do its best work,” Vance told several thousand troops gathered to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps. “That’s why the Secretary of war, and the President of the United States, have stood so firmly against that crap.”

The event, a full-throated love letter to the Marine Corps, featured a rare display of military might — a mock amphibious assault on a beach just north of San Diego that involved aircraft, ships and live howitzer fire that prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to close busy Interstate 5, the main artery of Southern California.

Newsom, a frequent critic of the administration and a likely presidential contender in 2028, said in a statement that the prospect of 155-millimeter howitzer projectiles soaring over the highway from the beach could distract drivers on the busy stretch of highway and pose a safety hazard. He also suggested Trump had scheduled the event to intimidate opponents.

“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds,” the governor said. “Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”

To read the entire article, click HERE. 

From Richard Pollina's 10-15-25 NEW YORK POST article entitled "Dad of US Marine Arrested, Deported by ICE After Visiting Pregnant Daughter at Military Base":

A US Marine said his father was deported after both his parents were detained last month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while at Camp Pendleton in California.

Steve Rios told NBC 7 that his parents, Esteban Rios and Luisa Rodriguez, were picking up his pregnant younger sister, Ashley, and her husband, who is also a Marine, at the enormous West Coast base on Sept. 28 — just like they had done every weekend for the past few months while expecting their first grandchild.

But this time, Rios said, his parents were stopped at the gate and held for ICE agents, who detained them.

They were released a few hours later with ankle monitors and picked up by their son, who said they were instructed to check in with the agency later that week.

When Rios drove them to their check-in appointment a few days later, he said, they waited for hours before being detained again.

“I just kept on looking at my parents. I didn’t know if it would be the last time I’d see them,” the young Marine said.

Rios shared that his father was wearing a red shirt and a white hat, both of which said “Proud dad of a US Marine,” when he was taken away and deported by ICE agents.

To read the entire article, click HERE.