Indiana’s Camp Atterbury and New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be temporarily used to detain undocumented migrants, according to a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth announced the decision in a June 15 letter to Rep. Herb Conway (D-N.J.), the House Committee on Armed Services and other members of Congress outlining that both locations would be for “temporary use by the Department of Homeland Security to house illegal aliens.”
The news surfaced widely on Friday as Democrats publicly criticized the move.
Hegseth in the letter also stated that this will not affect military activities in the camps.
“The Secretary approved a Department of Homeland Security request for assistance to use real property at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey to establish temporary soft-sided holding facilities,” an official from the Department of Defense (DOD) told The Hill in a statement.
The letter did not provide any indication on how many migrants could be detained there, nor on when the camp would be open.
“The timeline for these facilities will depend on operational requirements and coordination with DHS,” wrote the DOD.
“Soft-sided holding facilities” mean that these camps will resemble Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility the Trump administration has opened in the Florida Everglades, with tent-like walls and fencing inside to surround the beds.
Earlier on Friday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem suggested that Alligator Alcatraz would be a blue-print for future facilities.
Governors of South Carolina, Mississippi and Texas told NewsNation that they would be ready to host these temporary facilities in their states.
“Texas will continue to assist the Trump administration in arresting, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants,” said Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
Camp Atterbury is 40 miles out of Indianapolis, is operated by the National Guard and is more than 34,000 acres, according to their website. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is near Trenton, New Jersey and about 42,000 acres.
Indiana Rep. Andre Carson (D) wrote in a statement, “I remain concerned on this use of Camp Atterbury given the deplorable and inhumane conditions at other ICE detention facilities nationwide. The number of ICE detainees – and the number of deaths in detention – have grown at alarmingly high rates since the start of President Trump’s term, which in unacceptable. Also unacceptable is the apprehension and detention of US citizens. The Hoosier state should not facilitate these unlawful actions.”
A group of New Jersey Democrats also condemned the DOD’s plan.
“This is an inappropriate use of our national defense system and militarizes a radical immigration policy that has resulted in inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants and unlawful deportations of U.S. citizens, including children, across the country,” they said.
This move by the administration continues mass deportation efforts. This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that they would have access to Medicaid data from 79 million people, including addresses and dates of birth, to facilitate finding undocumented migrants.
