Pentagon Expands Role in Immigration Enforcement at Buckley Base

The U.S. military is now allowing ICE to detain migrants at Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado, expanding its involvement in immigration enforcement. The move follows deportation flights and troop deployments to the Mexico border. Criticism has arisen regarding potential family separations and impacts on businesses.

The U.S. military announced on Tuesday that it will permit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain migrants at Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado. This decision marks an expansion of the Pentagon's participation in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown efforts.

This follows the deployment of over 1,600 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and an increase in deportation flights of migrants. The U.S. military's Northern Command began providing facilities at Buckley on Monday to assist ICE's operations, which include processing and staging detained migrants.

The Northern Command did not specify how many migrants would be detained at Buckley nor if other bases might be used in the future. The move has drawn criticism over concerns of family separations and the potential negative impact on U.S. businesses.

(With inputs from agencies.)