By Joe Chatham
FAIR
Late last month, reports emerged that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is laying the groundwork for using military bases to detain illegal aliens. According to an internal DHS memorandum, up to 11 military bases are being considered. Fort Bliss, which is located near El Paso, Texas, could serve as a pilot site before the effort is expanded to other bases.
The memo was authored in February by Juliana Blackwell, the acting DHS executive secretary. In the memo, Blackwell writes that DHS may use Fort Bliss to detain roughly 1,000 illegal aliens during a 60-day trial period. If that effort is successful, the number of detained illegal aliens may be increased to 10,000 and the base used as a “central hub for deportation operations.” Other bases that DHS may use as detention sites include Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey; Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station near Buffalo, N.Y.; Hill Air Force Base in Utah; and Homestead Air Reserve Base near Miami.
One of the main obstacles facing the Trump administration’s removal efforts is the lack of detention space. Last year, Congress funded 41,500 detention beds, far below the 100,000 beds that Border Czar Tom Homan called for in January. Up to 30,000 detainees may ultimately be housed on bases per a Department of Defense (DOD) official. That official, speaking off the record, also noted that Army soldiers would likely be involved in maintaining the perimeter and not managing detention.
Reports that DHS plans to detain aliens on military bases come just weeks after the Trump administration announced it is expanding detention capacity at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On January 29, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing DHS and DOD to expand migrant detention in Guantanamo Bay to full capacity. The memorandum noted that it was issued “to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty.”
Since taking office, President Trump has pursued a whole-of-government approach to follow through on his promise to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. On his first day in office, the President signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency at our southern border and directing DOD and DHS to take immediate steps to construct additional physical barriers at the border and to take all appropriate action to impede the entry of illegal aliens. As part of that effort, roughly 5,000 active-duty and National Guard troops have been deployed to the border so far, with plans to double that figure.
Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also leaned into using the military to support immigration enforcement. In a recent call with Mexican officials, Secretary Hegseth made clear that “his top priority is to safeguard the United States and its citizens, to include securing the southern border.” Those comments echo another Executive Order, “Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States.” That Order directs the Armed Services to “prioritize the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.”
As the administration moves forward in its efforts to reverse the border crisis of the last four years, cooperation across federal departments and interagency partnerships to remove illegal aliens and protect Americans will be crucial.
