Hawley Proposes Fort Leonard Wood As Potential ICE Agent Training Facility

Hawley Proposes Fort Leonard Wood As Potential ICE Agent Training Facility

Monday, September 15, 2025

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, promoting Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri as a potential training spot for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Senator Hawley wrote, "My state is grateful for your efforts to reverse the lawless open borders policy of the previous administration. A central part of these efforts has been the recruitment of thousands of additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. To facilitate the swift and effective training of these officers, I wanted to note the potential benefits of utilizing Fort Leonard Wood, a major Army installation in my state."

He continued, "Fort Leonard Wood is currently a critical hub for military law enforcement training-housing both the U.S. Army Military Police School (USAMPS) and the Marine Corps Police Academy (MCPA)-and has a long history of supporting other federal law enforcement training efforts. The installation is able to accommodate sudden surges in its on-base population, and it currently has extra capacity to host additional missions due to the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI)."

Senator Hawley concluded, "Put simply, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri has the infrastructure, experience, and space to support the rapid expansion of ICE's critical immigration enforcement workforce."

Read the full letter here or below.

September 12, 2025

Honorable Kristi Noem

Secretary of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE

Washington, D.C. 20528

Acting Director Todd Lyons

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

500 12th St. SW

Washington, D.C. 20536

Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,

Thank you for your tireless work to secure America's borders and enforce our immigration laws. My state is grateful for your efforts to reverse the lawless open borders policy of the previous administration.

A central part of these efforts has been the recruitment of thousands of additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. To facilitate the swift and effective training of these officers, I wanted to note the potential benefits of utilizing Fort Leonard Wood, a major Army installation in my state. Fort Leonard Wood is currently a critical hub for military law enforcement training-housing both the U.S. Army Military Police School (USAMPS) and the Marine Corps Police Academy (MCPA)-and has a long history of supporting other federal law enforcement training efforts. The installation is able to accommodate sudden surges in its on-base population, and it currently has extra capacity to host additional missions due to the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI).

Put simply, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri has the infrastructure, experience, and space to support the rapid expansion of ICE's critical immigration enforcement workforce. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Josh Hawley

United States Senator

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