Congress Demands Details On ICE’s Use Of NJ Military Bases

By: Benjamin J. Hulac, Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon must inform Congress about its use of military aircraft to deport undocumented immigrants, including the type, number, cost and destinations of and occupants aboard the planes, under new bipartisan legislation.

That requirement and others drawn up to rein in the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda were included in a bill Congress writes and passes every year to set the course of the U.S. military. Other language in the bill would bind the Pentagon to tell Congress how many undocumented immigrants are being held at military sites, specify those sites and estimate the cost to hold those immigrants.

The Trump administration plans to use the sprawling Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County to detain a minimum of 1,000 immigrants — a number that could balloon to 3,000 — then fly them overseas.

If the bill becomes law, these sections, which sprang from bipartisan suggestions from lawmakers including Rep. Herb Conaway (D-3rd), could help disclose information about the Trump’s administration plans for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as it escalates its already aggressive immigrant detention program.

Conaway said in part that he was pleased the “bill includes provisions that will ensure Congress has proper oversight on these immigration enforcement operations.”

The plan grants two federal agencies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which are both part of the Department of Homeland Security, the use of two planes at a time on an airfield on the base for deportation flights.

Considered “must-pass” legislation due to its breadth, the bill, which approves a sweeping array of policies and programs from international military alliances, enlisted members and base operations, to the procurement of ships and jets, as well as missiles and bombs, is expected to receive a vote on the House floor this week.

Likely passage this week of the legislation, formally called the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, comes as the Trump administration is facing scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats on congressional military committees over its lethal military strikes on suspected drug smugglers in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Congress has moved haltingly to check Trump’s ability to start wars.

Beyond clearing federal immigration officials for use of the joint base, top Pentagon officials have approved DHS to use Camp Atterbury, a U.S. Army base in Indiana, and the infamous American naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Conaway and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1st), both members of the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees military policy, toured the base over the summer.

Officials on the base then told the pair of lawmakers there was no clear plan how their facility would be used for immigration policy.

“With the growing concern of military installations being tapped to house undocumented immigrants, I am pleased to see that the NDAA includes provisions that will ensure Congress has proper oversight on these immigration enforcement operations,” Conaway said in a statement Monday to NJ Spotlight News.

“This is something that I have been advocating for throughout the NDAA process once I learned that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst would be tasked as a potential detention center for undocumented immigrants,” Conaway said. “I remain committed to both ensuring the appropriate use of our military resources and the humane treatment of undocumented immigrants.”

Norcross, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said military reports from this bill will help Congress perform its oversight duties. 

“For months, Congressman Conaway and I have worked to ensure we are fully informed about the Trump Administration’s plans to house undocumented immigrants at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, in order to protect military readiness and uphold human rights standards,” Norcross said in a statement to NJ Spotlight News. “By requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit regular reports when they are housing undocumented immigrants on military bases, the House Armed Services Committee can better fulfill its oversight responsibilities.” 

A previous version of the defense policy bill excluded an amendment from New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both Democrats, to counter the administration’s use of military bases for deportation purposes.