A new group of Camp Pendleton Marines are working alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Border Patrol at the southern border.

The group, which includes 500 Marines and sailors, is part of the Combat Logistics Battalion 15, 1st Marine Logistics, and has assumed “operational responsibilities” as Task Force Forge under Joint Task Force–Southern Border, Marine officials said on Monday, July 14.

That means they will provide critical engineering and logistical support under the presidential executive order issued Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, directing the Department of Defense to help address the situation.

Following that order, 500 Marines also from Camp Pendleton deployed to San Diego and El Paso on Jan. 23. Those servicemembers were part of Task Force Sapper. Two of those Marines — Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera, of Riverside, and Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino of Fresno — died in April when their vehicle crashed while in a convoy in New Mexico.

The new group of Marines trained “hands-on” with the Marines from Task Force Sapper for several weeks before preparing for the mission, Marine officials said.

“As part of its deployment, Task Force Forge will establish its presence eastward in the Yuma sector, bolstering (the) current support activities in the region,” officials said.

“Our mission is clear,” said Lt. Col. Colin Graham, commanding officer of Task Force Forge, in a statement, “support our federal partners and Joint Task Force-Southern Border, strengthen operational readiness, and support upholding the territorial integrity of our nation’s border with professionalism and precision.”