Garamendi, Thompson demand answers from Pentagon over plans to use Travis AFB as a deportation center

U.S. representatives John Garamendi and Mike Thompson sent a joint letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth following reports that the Trump Administration is considering Travis Air Force Base as an immigration detention facility.

“It’s outrageous and inappropriate for the Trump administration to use Travis Air Force Base as an immigration detention facility,” the representatives wrote. “Converting Travis into an immigration facility would undermine its vital national security mission. Travis Air Force Base has long been known as the ‘Gateway to the Pacific’ because it plays a crucial role in our national security by providing transportation for personnel and materiel around the world, particularly in support to Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, this is not the president’s first attempt to inappropriately utilize Travis Air Force Base, hampering its critical mission. In February we uncovered that Trump was using Travis’s military aircraft to transport undocumented individuals at three times the cost of commercial flights. Later that month, we were able to stop his attempt to send trained medical personnel to the proposed migrant detention camp in Guantanamo Bay. Now, the president wants to turn Travis into a mass deportation center. All these instances compromise our national security and are simply absurd.

“We are deeply alarmed by Trump’s blatant abuse of presidential power and his indifference to the rule of law. His utter disregard for the Posse Comitatus Act, which explicitly prohibits using active-duty military personnel for domestic law enforcement functions, gravely concerning.

“We will continue Congress’s oversight role and work to ensure the American people understand the unlawful, wasteful, and dangerous path Trump is pursuing.”

This letter is the latest in a series of actions by Garamendi and Thompson to hold the Trump Administration accountable for misusing military resources in immigration enforcement.

In January, Garamendi’s office sent a letter demanding answers from the Department of Defense regarding the use of C-17s and C-130s from Travis Air Force Base to deport undocumented immigrants.

In February, Garamendi followed up with another letter pressing the Trump Administration over plans to deploy medical professionals to a proposed migrant detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. The Department of Defense recently responded to that inquiry, but Garamendi’s office found the response inadequate.

Read the full letter HERE.