DAVID KLEPPER and KEVIN FREKING.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon, Friday, July 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Hegseth tells lawmakers about plan to detain immigrants at bases in Indiana and New Jersey

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says military bases in Indiana and New Jersey could house detained immigrants without affecting their military operations. The determination could be a step toward housing large numbers of immigrant detainees at the bases. Hegseth wrote to members of Congress this week informing them of his decision. The two bases are Atterbury, Indiana, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. Democratic lawmakers from the states condemned the plan, questioning whether it would drain military resources and criticizing the Trump administration’s detention of U.S. citizens and immigrants with no criminal records.

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