The Trump administration plans to convert a New Jersey military base into a temporary immigrant detention center, expanding federal detention capacity amid broader immigration enforcement efforts.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Camp Atterbury in Indiana will be used by the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants. Hegseth said the plan would not disrupt military readiness.
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Democrats on the Hill. Rep. Herb Conaway, whose district includes the New Jersey base, called it an “abhorrent use” of military resources. Conaway is a former Air Force Officer.
The site, a 41,000-acre installation in Burlington and Ocean counties, is one of the largest in the country and the only tri-service joint base in the Department of Defense. It houses more than 42,000 personnel.
Details about how the detention center would operate remain limited. The Pentagon has not said whether the site would be run by federal staff or private contractors. New Jersey currently hosts two privately operated immigration detention centers in Newark and Elizabeth.
Hegseth’s letter follows the enactment of a bill signed this month by President Trump that allocates $150 billion toward immigration operations. Of that, $45 billion is directed at expanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention sites.
Opponents, including Gov. Phil Murphy and the ACLU of New Jersey, argue the use of military installations for immigration detention is a dangerous precedent. Murphy called it a “gross misuse of U.S. military resources.” The ACLU said it conflicts with constitutional values.
This uptick in detention capacity comes at a time where Trump’s public approval on immigration is diminishing. Recent polling shows the Trump administration has hit a new low on the issue with 54% of people disapproving of the administration’s immigration and deportation policy.
It is not yet clear when operations at the joint base in New Jersey will begin.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.