Military bases located in New Jersey and Indiana will soon serve as housing sites for illegal immigrants under Homeland Security’s initiative, leading to a strong backlash from Democratic lawmakers.
Sections of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana will be transformed into “temporary soft-sided holding facilities,” according to the Defense Department, which informed Fox News Digital that this decision was made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Democrats from New Jersey criticized the move, warning that it could impact military preparedness and called on Republicans to collaborate with them to overturn the decision. Notably, these bases were previously utilized to accommodate thousands of Afghan refugees following the United States’ exit from Afghanistan in 2021.
Afghan refugees walk outside a temporary housing facility in Liberty Village on Joint Base McGuire-Dix- Lakehurst in New Jersey, U.S., December 2, 2021. P (REUTERS/Barbara Davidson)
It is unclear when either site will open and a decision will depend on operational requirements and coordination with Homeland Security, the Defense Department said.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is a joint military base operated by U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy — the only tri-service base in the country. Spanning 42,00 acres, it’s home to 45,000 military and civilian personnel, making it one of the largest and most strategically important on the East Coast.
Secretary of Defense approved the plan to transform parts of the bases into facilities for illegal migrants. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Camp Atterbury is an Army and Air National Guard base near Edinburgh that spans 34,000 acres and has been used for training brigades and hosting large-scale operations.
Under the Trump administration, Homeland Security has been using detention facilities to house migrants while they await asylum hearings or deportation.
The lawmakers said that Hegseth wrote to Conoway informing him of the decision. Hegseth wrote in the letter that the move would not negatively affect military training, operations, readiness, or any other military requirements, per NJ Spotlight News.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was among a group of Democrats to slam the move. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
New Jersey is already home to Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center which are being used as immigration detention facilities, although they are privately operated. Delaney Hall was the scene where Democrat Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing in a clash with federal immigration officials in May. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D‑N.J., was later federally charged for allegedly interfering with federal officers during the same incident.
The news comes two weeks after President Donald Trump signed the Big Beautiful Bill into law, which allocated between $150 billion and $170 billion towards immigration enforcement over the next several years, $45 billion of which was carved out to expand immigration detention facilities. The funds are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to carry out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration opened an immigration detention camp in Florida’s Everglades that is surrounded by alligators dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
