Military installations in New Jersey and Indiana are being repurposed by the Department of Homeland Security to accommodate illegal immigrants, a decision that has provoked significant opposition from Democratic lawmakers.
As reported by Fox News on Saturday, the Defense Department indicated that sections of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana will be transformed into “temporary soft-sided holding facilities,” following an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Democrats from New Jersey have vehemently condemned this decision, asserting that it could undermine military readiness and urging Republicans to join them in their opposition. Both bases had previously served to shelter thousands of Afghan refugees after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The group of Democrats expressed in a joint statement, “This is an inappropriate use of our national defense system and militarizes a radical immigration policy that has led to the inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants and the unlawful deportation of U.S. citizens, including children, across the nation.”
They further stated, “Utilizing our nation’s military to detain and hold undocumented immigrants endangers military preparedness and sets the stage for ICE immigration raids in every New Jersey community. We possess the most formidable military in the world, and employing it as a domestic political instrument is both unacceptable and disgraceful.”
This statement was issued by Representatives Herb Conaway, LaMonica McIver, Donald Norcross, Rob Menendez, Frank Pallone, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Josh Gottheimer, and Nellie Pou, along with Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim, as reported by Fox.
Democratic lawmakers did not broadly criticize President Biden’s deployment of military bases to house Afghan refugees following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. In fact, many Democrats were supportive of the evacuation and resettlement initiatives.
For example, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in September 2021 revealed that around 75% of Democrats supported the admission of thousands of Afghan refugees into the United States.
The Defense Department has indicated that it is uncertain when either site will become operational, as the timing will be contingent upon operational requirements and collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the only tri-service military base in the nation operated collaboratively by the Air Force, Army, and Navy, covers an area of 42,000 acres and accommodates approximately 45,000 military and civilian personnel, rendering it one of the largest and most strategically important installations on the East Coast.
Camp Atterbury, situated near Edinburgh, is a 34,000-acre base for the Army and Air National Guard that has historically functioned as a training site for brigades and a venue for extensive military operations, as noted by Fox.
During the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security has depended on detention facilities to accommodate migrants who are awaiting asylum hearings or deportation.
As reported by NJ Spotlight News, lawmakers indicated that Hegseth informed Conoway of the decision through a letter, assuring him that the action would not affect military training, operations, readiness, or other critical military functions.
New Jersey currently has two privately operated immigration detention facilities: Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center. Delaney Hall attracted national attention in May when Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing during an altercation with federal immigration officials.
McIver (D-N.J.) was subsequently charged federally for allegedly obstructing federal officers during the same event.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration inaugurated a new immigration detention facility in Florida’s Everglades, situated in an area surrounded by alligators and referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The recent developments occur merely two weeks following President Trump’s enactment of the Big Beautiful Bill, which allocates between $150 billion and $170 billion for immigration enforcement over the upcoming years—of this amount, $45 billion is specifically earmarked for the expansion of immigration detention facilities.
During the broadcast of Fox News Channel’s Special Report on Friday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D), who has been speculated as a possible contender for the 2028 presidential election, recognized that Trump and his administration merit acknowledgment for their initiatives aimed at securing the border.
“I understand that we all recognize the solution lies in securing the border and ensuring that violent criminals are removed from our communities,” Moore stated to anchor Bret Baier
