COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Kehoe and U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt are united in their drive to get the Trump administration to designate Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County as a training center for ICE agents.
On Thursday, Schmitt sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighting that the military base has thousands of acres of training grounds, robot barracks and classroom infrastructure to train ICE agents.
“I urge you to work proactively with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to make Fort Leonard Wood available for this mission,” Schmitt wrote. “Leveraging synergies between our military law enforcement schools and civilian federal law enforcement is precisely the kind of coordination that enhances overall national security. It will strengthen border enforcement, make prudent use of existing Defense resources, and demonstrate the Department of War’s ability to adapt to pressing national priorities.”
Last week, Kehoe and Hawley sent letters to Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with a similar request.
In his letter, Kehoe said he is pleased to support the effort to establish a non-Army federal law enforcement training program at Fort Leonard Wood. He said the initiative offers a timely and strategic solution to help address critical training capacity shortfalls faced by ICE and other federal agencies.
“ICE is under increased demand to recruit and train thousands of new agents in the next months. Current federal training centers are stretched to capacity, and ICE has already shortened training courses to keep pace with hiring demands. This is not a sustainable solution for ensuring readiness and effectiveness of our federal law enforcement workforce,” Kehoe wrote.
In an interview with ABC 17 News on Thursday, Hawley said the fort has the capacity and “tremendous facilities.”
“It would be great for the base, it would bring additional funding to the base, it would make sure that we keep all of our facilities top-notch, and it would also be good for the country, to be honest,” Hawley said. “We need more ICE agents, we need to train those agents, why go build some new facility somewhere when we have all of the facilities we need at Fort Leonard Wood?”
He noted that military police and the Marine Corps already train at the fort, and adding ICE would be a “great addition” that supports the base’s long-term health.
ICE has ramped up its work to detain illegal immigrants since Trump’s election, and the agency is offering lucrative signing bonuses for recruits. The Washington Post reported Thursday that ICE is also seeking office space around the country as it expands.
Hawley said the request is not about immigration in Missouri specifically, but said the effects of illegal immigration have been felt here, citing a December 2023 St. Louis crash involving an illegal immigrant that killed a 12-year-old boy.
“She was about to be deported afterwards, and we made sure that she was first able to stand trial. She pled guilty, and now she’s going to be sentenced, and after that, it’s all over. Get deported,” Hawley said.
Hawley said training ICE agents is a good way to ensure Fort Leonard Wood gets funding to keeps its facilities updated.
“I don’t want to see that base downgraded in any way. I don’t want to see its funding reduced in any way,” Hawley said. “I don’t want to see its facilities shrunk in any way, and this is about keeping the base strong and, of course, doing right by the servicemen and women who live there.”