• The Department of Homeland Security plans to house migrants at two new military installations—Fort Dix in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana—marking a deepened militarisation of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. This move echoes previous uses of military sites for migrant housing and adds political, legal, and constitutional questions to the debate over national defence resources and civil liberties.

TRENTON, NJ (TDR) — The Department of Homeland Security has quietly identified Joint Base McGuire‑Dix‑Lakehurst (“Fort Dix”), New Jersey, and Camp Atterbury, Indiana, as sites earmarked for migrant housing, continuing a trend toward utilising military infrastructure in the immigration enforcement regime.

Fort Dix, traditionally a training centre for National Guard and reserve noncommissioned officers, and Camp Atterbury, a Midwestern training ground, were once again repurposed after hosting Afghan and Ukrainian refugees. DHS’s decision underscores a pattern of military engagement in domestic immigration operations.

Militarisation of Immigration

This shift comes amid a sharp uptick in cooperation between the military and federal immigration agencies. Notably, California National Guard troops and Marines have recently supported Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in enforcement activities, while Florida Guard units assist at a temporary “Alligator Alcatraz” encampment in the Everglades. Simultaneously, Fort Bliss, Texas, is being outfitted as a major migrant deportation facility.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

President Trump has further expanded this approach, deploying 9,000 active‑duty troops to the U.S.–Mexico border and utilising the Guantanamo Bay prison—originally intended for high‑threat detainees—as a detention site for migrants of low perceived risk.

Political and Legal Backlash

A coalition of New Jersey Democrats, including Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, along with several House representatives, issued a joint statement condemning the proposal:

“This is an inappropriate use of our national defence system and military resources,” they contend, labelling the policy “radical” and warning it has led to “inhumane treatment” of undocumented migrants and U.S. citizens.

Legal experts raise constitutional concerns. The Posse Comitatus Act limits domestic use of U.S. military forces for civilian law enforcement, and basing DHS activities at active military installations risks stretching those constraints. Additionally, questions persist regarding detainees’ access to due process and appropriate legal counsel under international and constitutional law.

Historical and Strategic Context

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

Fort Dix and Camp Atterbury have precedent as migrant housing sites: Fort Dix hosted over 11,000 Afghan evacuees in 2021–22, while Atterbury sheltered both Afghan and Ukrainian refugees and held WWII-era POWs. Currently, the scale, legal regime, and operational framework for new migrant housing remain undefined.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assures lawmakers in a letter that military readiness and operational capacity will not be compromised, asserting that detainee housing will not affect “military training, operations, readiness or other military requirements.”

Constitutional Questions and Public Policy

This strategy prompts pivotal debate over the role of the U.S. military: Should national defence assets be diverted to enforce immigration policy? As the country faces growing transnational migration and resurgent great-power competition, can the dual use of military infrastructure be reconciled with limited-government principles and constitutional restraint?

With execution pending and details unsettled, the policy may invite legal challenges and congressional scrutiny, raising fundamental questions about the proper boundary between military logistics and civilian law enforcement.

Will the Senate or the courts move to reassert constitutional checks—ensuring that military force remains divorced from domestic political operations?

Follow The Dupree Report on YouTube

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10