By Flynn Demapendan-Espana
As the number of detained people continues to grow, the Trump Administration is looking for new places to keep them put. Multiple reports have suggested that Travis Air Force Base could possibly be used as an ICE detention facility.
Just recently in April, the Trump Administration has been looking to create a deportation facility at the air base and is even pushing to speed up the approval process. “The military needs to be ready and the readiness cannot be harmed or slowed down by a detention facility at this base or, frankly, any base across the nation,” said Congressman John Garmendi.
In the emails for the operation, it shows significant coordinations between Department of Defense and Homeland Security officials to accelerate the plans. The emails do not describe or state the scope of design on the proposed detention center in Travis Air Force Base, or how it could remain maintained.
Garamendi has stated his concerns and fears that the establishment of a detention facility is all a part of a push to use the military for civil law enforcement. “Travis has a critical national security role of providing worldwide transportation services for personnel and material around the world. An immigration facility would significantly hamper the national security work that Travis is responsible for,” stated Garamendi.
The White House went under fire earlier this year when Travis aircraft were seen being used to transport deportees. But now, reports say that a detention center may be in the works and it raises even more suspicions than before.
“We can confirm that ICE is exploring all options in California to meet its current and future detention requirements, which include new detention facilities and possible support from partner agencies,” says an ICE spokesman in a statement. As of lately, ICE is actively working to expand their detention capacities.
Homeland Security officials have been considering at least implementing 10 military bases around the country specifically for immigration detention, according to NPR. A Homeland Security memo that was obtained from NPR has described a plan to Fort Bliss as a model for other facilities, with up to 1,000 people first being detained, now expanding up to 10,000.
ICE is currently holding nearly 48,000 immigrants in detention facilities nationwide. Last year, ICE’s detention holdings were only 41,500 beds. Although, last month, Congress gave $430,000 to ICE’s current-year detention budgets, which allows the agency to increase the capacity up to 54,500 beds.
Previous administrations have used military bases to temporarily house arriving refugees and have also used them to deploy soldiers to give logistical support to the U.S. Border Patrol. However, the plan to use Travis and other military bases for ICE detention represents a more substantial move with militarizing immigration enforcement.
“Our country is kind of turning towards authoritarianism,” says Jehan Laner, a senior staff attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco. She argues that using military bases for ICE detention violates the Posse Comitatus Act, a 19th-century law that limits the use of military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the U.S.
“When you have the military starting to do civil law enforcement,” Laner says, “it becomes a very scary prospect.”
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