“Would it be better to have the people who entered the U.S. illegally and ‘have a nexus to a transnational criminal organization or criminal drug activity’ just walking around our streets and threatening the well-being of our young people,” asked Rep. Chris Smith after a comprehensive briefing from the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding plans for detention and removal of alien detainees, which may include Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL). “Or is it better that they be in a secure location, isolated from the surrounding community where they can do no further harm to our children and those vulnerable to illicit drug sales, overdose, and addiction?”

              Smith requested the briefing from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy concerning the DOD’s approval of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) request for assistance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s detention and removal operations for low-threat individuals with 'a nexus to transnational criminal organizations or drug activity.'

              Fort Bliss is scheduled to increase its current capacity to 2,000 by the end of September and move to 5,000 in the new year. Then if space is needed, DHS could turn to JBMDL and Camp Atterbury in Indiana to house up to 1,000 detainees each.

              Smith, whose congressional district includes more than half of JBMDL, shared a research memo he requested from the Library of Congress, which shows that JBMDL has a long history of use for temporary migrant housing.

              According to the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service, in the aftermath of President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Joint Base supported about 16,500 Afghan refugees. It also housed 500 Haitian evacuees during the Obama administration after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the country in 2010, as well as more than 4,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo during George W. Bush’s presidency.

              “I have represented parts of this great military facility for more than 40 years, and I am proud to have worked to expand, strengthen and save JBMDL from multiple attempted base closings and alignment rounds,” said Smith. “The DOD knows that our facility has been used successfully for temporary migrant housing in the past and, if called upon, will step up and serve our national needs with excellence once again.”

              The Dean of the New Jersey delegation noted that along with several previous temporary housing facilities, JBMDL is also home to the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix, a large federal prison that houses over 4,000 inmates.  

              Under the proposal, the DOD will provide logistical support and basic services, such as air conditioning and water supply, but the DHS will ultimately be responsible for overseeing the detention and removal proceedings. This includes ensuring the security of alien detainees on base and transportation to and from the base. 

              Under federal law, the Secretary of Defense is authorized to provide assistance to law enforcement agencies in drug interdiction and activities to control transnational organized crime. Individuals determined to be high-level threats by the DHS will continue to be housed exclusively at Guantanamo Bay.