Indiana's Camp Atterbury to be used to house detained migrants

Indiana’s Camp Atterbury and New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be temporarily used to detain immigrants lacking permanent legal status, according to a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.   

Hegseth announced the decision in a Tuesday letter to Rep. Herb Conaway (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 [DHS] to house illegal aliens.”

The news surfaced widely Friday as Democrats publicly criticized the move.  

Hegseth in the letter also stated 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 indicate how many immigrants could be detained there or when the camp would be open. 

“The timeline for these facilities will depend on operational requirements and coordination with DHS,” the DOD wrote. 

“Soft-sided holding facilities” mean 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. 

In February, when the administration was turning Fort Bliss in Texas into a deportation hub, Trump touted the idea of increasingly using military sites for holding detained immigrants. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst was named as one of the military sites that would be upgraded after Fort Bliss, according to The New York Times.

Earlier on Friday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem suggested Alligator Alcatraz would be a blue-print for future facilities. 

The governors of South Carolina, Mississippi and Texas told NewsNation 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 spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R).

Camp Atterbury is located 40 miles out of Indianapolis and is operated by the National Guard and has more than 34,000 acres, according to its website. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is near Trenton, N.J., and has about 42,000 acres. 

Indiana Rep. André Carson (D) wrote in a statement he remains "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," he continued, calling it 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,” the group said. 

The Trump administration's latest move continues its mass deportation efforts. This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it would have access to the Medicaid data of 79 million people, including addresses and dates of birth, to facilitate finding immigrants lacking permanent legal status.