Navy, Marine bases may house tens of thousands of detained immigrants

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, is one of the bases under consideration to house thousands of detained immigrants. Here, soldiers with the Western Army Infantry Regiment, Japan Ground Self Defense Force run to their next objective during a live fire and maneuver range aboard Camp Pendleton during an exercise in January 2018. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Robert B. Brown Jr.)

The Navy has drawn up plans to house tens of thousands illegal immigrants in tent cities at bases along the West Coast and Arizona, Time magazine reported Friday.

According to the report, the Navy could house as many as 47,000 people at former Naval Weapons Station Concord and another 47,000 people at Camp Pendleton, California. Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona is also under consideration as a tent city location, the magazine reported.

The tent cities would cost $233 million and would be expected to run for a year.

The Pentagon did not dispute the report but also would not confirm details of the document as of Friday.

In a statement on the article, spokesman Lt. Col. Jamie Davis said the department “is conducting prudent planning and is looking nationwide at DoD installations should DHS ask for assistance in housing adult illegal immigrants. At this time there has been no request from DHS for DoD support to house illegal migrants.”