Seven men were arrested on a rural California army base in January after being pulled over on a public road that crosses the installation, raising concerns that military police are coordinating with immigration authorities in violation of federal law. The men, all undocumented immigrants, were stopped for minor traffic infractions on Jolon Road at Fort Hunter Liggett, then handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents within minutes, according to Francisco Galicia, one of those detained.
Galicia, who was deported days later, said the traffic stops appeared routine until officers asked for social security numbers. When the men could not provide them, ICE agents arrived and took them to a detention site on the base. At least 15 men have been arrested in similar circumstances since 30 December, according to Galicia and a local rapid response network.
Military law experts say the collaboration may violate the Posse Comitatus Act, a 19th-century law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement. William Banks, a Syracuse University law professor emeritus, described the incidents as a 'creep in the wrong direction toward military participation in law enforcement.' A federal judge previously ruled that the Trump administration violated the act when it deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June.
Two California members of Congress, Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta, have written to the homeland security secretary and army secretary, raising 'serious questions regarding jurisdiction, interagency coordination, statutory authority, and the protection of civil liberties.' Their letter cited 'multiple, consistent reports' of racial profiling in the stops.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the arrests of 14 people at Fort Hunter Liggett since December, stating that the stops occurred on publicly accessible roads crossing federal property. 'If federal authorities encounter an illegal alien on federal property, they are going to contact ICE,' the spokesperson said, without addressing concerns about the Posse Comitatus Act. The army declined to comment on third-party accounts.
