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Pentagon Approves Indiana and New Jersey Bases for Migrant Detention

Certification allows DHS to set up soft-sided compounds on active bases to help meet the administration’s goal of 100,000 detention beds.

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon, Friday, July 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Overview

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth certified Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey on July 15 for temporary DHS use to house migrants awaiting deportation.
  • DHS will erect temporary soft-sided holding facilities on the bases, with arrival timelines still pending coordination between Defense and Homeland Security.
  • Hegseth maintains that using base property for detention will not harm military training, operations or National Guard and Reserve readiness.
  • Democratic lawmakers and civil-rights groups argue that repurposing military installations for immigration enforcement jeopardizes operational resources and civil liberties.
  • Both bases previously sheltered Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, a factor officials cited in selecting sites for expanding migrant detention capacity.