ICE Could Hold Immigrants At NJ Military Base: Report

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ — The largest military base in New Jersey could become a temporary holding site for undocumented immigrants slated for deportation, according to a report.

The New York Times reported the Trump administration is planning to use bases across the United States as detention sites to house immigrants as the administration's mass deportation efforts increase.

Authorities are working to create a deportation hub at Fort Bliss in Texas, the Times report said. That base could hold up to 10,000 undocumented immigrants, the report said. It did not specify other sites except to say military sites across the country could be used.

The plan was in its early stages, the Times reported, quoting unnamed sources.

A Patch request to ICE for comment and additional information was not answered Tuesday afternoon.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has been used in the past to provide temporary housing, including in 2021 following the airlifts of refugees from Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal of its military presence.

The base hosted 14,500 refugees at the peak of the resettlement efforts.