DHS memo lays out plans to detain migrants at Fort Bliss and other U.S. bases
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is developing plans to build immigration detention facilities on U.S. military bases around the country, according to an internal memo obtained by NPR.
The Department of Homeland Security is asking the Department of Defense for help detaining immigrants without legal status, according to the DHS memo, a step that could significantly expand the military’s role in immigration enforcement.
The memo sent earlier this month from Juliana Blackwell, the acting executive secretary at DHS, lays out a plan to use Fort Bliss, near El Paso, Texas, to “stage detainees for removal from the United States.”
The request is still in the planning stages, according to a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly. But if activated, the plan could dramatically expand detention capacity to support President Trump’s push for mass deportations.
Fort Bliss would initially detain up to 1,000 immigrants during a 60-day evaluation period, the memo states, and could eventually hold as many as 10,000 immigrants while serving as a “central hub for deportation operations.”
Fort Bliss could then serve as the model for as many as 10 other holding facilities on military bases nationwide, including 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.
There is some precedent for using U.S. military bases to house immigrants. The Biden administration stood up a temporary shelter for unaccompanied migrant children at Fort Bliss, and also housed tens of thousands of Afghans at military bases in Wisconsin, New Jersey and elsewhere after the fall of Kabul.
On Friday, the Trump administration removed the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid dissatisfaction with the pace of arrests and deportations.
A lack of detention space may be one obstacle. ICE’s existing detention facilities are at full capacity, with more than 41,000 immigrants in custody, according to the most recent data from DHS.
At a White House press briefing last week, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller pledged to use “every element and instrument of national power” to accelerate deportations of immigrants with criminal convictions and final orders of removal.
“We are shortly on the verge of achieving a pace and speed of deportations this country has never before seen,” Miller said.
Trump shrinks National Security Council in major foreign policy shakeup
The NSC has traditionally played a pivotal role in advising the president for his biggest diplomatic and security decisions. But in Trump's second term, it has seen its influence shrink.
Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say
A new study details the evolutionary change of Anna's Hummingbirds, finding their beaks have grown longer and more tapered to get the most from common feeders.
Cold case solved: College students help ID the remains of a 19th century sea captain
Remains of the "Scattered Man John Doe" began washing ashore in New Jersey in 1995 and went unidentified for the next three decades. Students at Ramapo College set about to solve the mystery.
Trump seeks to boost nuclear industry and overhaul safety regulator
A series of executive orders aims to promote new kinds of nuclear reactors while restructuring the body in charge of nuclear safety.
What’s Possible — AI in Alabama
Every so often, a new technology arises that transforms everything it touches. It fundamentally alters how we relate to each other and the world around us. Right now, the technology with that potential is artificial intelligence. On "What’s Possible – AI in Alabama," a locally-produced special by WBHM, we dive into a conversation about what AI means for the state.
DOJ confirms it has a deal with Boeing to drop prosecution over deadly 737 Max crashes
The Justice Department says it has reached an agreement in principle with Boeing to drop criminal charges over two fatal crashes of 737 Max jets, despite objections from some victims' family members.
