The United States Coast Guard announced on Tuesday that various assets would work to achieve the objectives described in President Donald Trump’s first executive orders about American territorial integrity.
Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard’s acting commandant, said in a news release that the “world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency” would fulfill its mission of “protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Those actions especially relate to the threat of illegal immigration.
“Per the President’s Executive Orders, I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets—cutters, aircraft, boats and deployable specialized forces—to increase Coast Guard presence and focus,” Lunday said.
The surge of assets will take place in the area approaching Florida to prevent maritime mass migrations from Haiti and Cuba, as well as the maritime border between Florida and the Bahamas.
Other assets were deployed to Alaska and Hawaii, plus territories such as Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Together, in coordination with our Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense teammates, we will detect, deter and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling and other terrorist or hostile activity before it reaches our border,” the release added.
Coast Guard assets will also establish an increased presence in the “southwest maritime border between the U.S. and Mexico in the Pacific” and the “maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of America.”
Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America soon after his inauguration by means of executive action.
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The order, entitled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” pointed to the history of the United States in developing the maritime activity and natural resources of the Gulf of America.
“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America,” Trump said in the order.
Trump also restored the name of Mount McKinley in Alaska in recognition of President William McKinley.
Under his leadership “the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation,” according to Trump.
President Barack Obama had changed the name to Mount Denali in 2015.
The moves from the Coast Guard also come shortly after the dismissal of Adm. Linda Lee Fagan, who served as commandant of the Coast Guard since 2022.
One senior official in the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Fagan was terminated because of her failure to handle border security, mismanagement of efforts to secure icebreakers and helicopters, and poor results with recruitment and retention.
The official also cited her excessive focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Coast Guard, plus a mishandling and cover-up of an internal investigation related to sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
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