The Secretary of Defense has confirmed that military installations in Indiana and New Jersey will be repurposed to accommodate detained immigrants awaiting deportation.
Since the beginning of the Trump administration this year, the government has added around 60 facilities designated for housing migrants slated for deportation, as reported by Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Recently, two more bases have joined that list. In a letter to Congress, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Camp Atterbury, located in central Indiana, and McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey will be made available “for temporary use by the Department of Homeland Security to house illegal aliens.”
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Hegseth argued in his letter that using these bases for immigration enforcement “does not negatively impact military training, operations, or any other military needs, including National Guard and reserve preparations.”
Currently, there is no set timeline for when immigrants will be relocated to the base.
Camp Atterbury already includes a barracks designed to house up to 7,000 people in dormitory-style living arrangements. The facilities come with central heating, air conditioning, and bathrooms.
McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, covering 41,000 acres, is the Pentagon’s only “Tri-service” base and serves more than 42,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and their families. It appears to also support ICE operations in the Northeast.
The proposal has faced pushback from Democratic leaders. Critics of the plan argue that it could disrupt immigration enforcement efforts, highlighting concerns over a potential $170 billion investment.
Look – don’t cross that line! Tom Homan cautions against judicial interference in deportation matters:
Tom Homan, a notable figure at the White House focusing on border issues, praised the increase in facility capacity, stating, “The more beds we have, the more bad guys we apprehend.”
Kathleen Bush Joseph, an analyst at the Institute for Immigration Policy, mentioned that the funding boost “will certainly enhance immigrant enforcement over time, although it won’t happen immediately.”
