Federal officials are considering Camp Atterbury as a temporary holding site for immigrant detainees.

Homeland Security confirmed that it’s “exploring all options” as nationwide deportation efforts increase and detention space becomes more scarce. This potential move comes as Indiana has also ramped up its own state-level immigration enforcement measures.

Camp Atterbury is a federal installation spanning parts of Bartholomew, Brown and Johnson counties. It is operated by the Indiana National Guard.

The base as a history of being involved in significant national operations. In 2021 it was repurposed during Operation Allies Welcome to temporarily shelter over 7,000 Afghan refugees evacuated after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. This large-scale humanitarian mission utilized 82 lodging structures across six distinct, fully-serviced neighborhoods—complete with dining and medical capabilities—offering varied accommodations from family dormitories to individual barracks, all climate-controlled and equipped with plumbing.

Using Camp Atterbury for detentions could offer federal cost savings for immigrant detention, a crucial consideration as recent think tank reports estimate between 11 and 12.2 million unauthorized immigrants nationwide, driving the need for such facilities.

Story courtesy of Network Indiana