TJ Madsen is among the founding members of the New Herald Tribune and chairs the editorial board. He worked for national syndicated newspapers in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before moving to the midwest.
March 12 , 2026
Washington — Newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullen announced Wednesday a federal plan to temporarily relocate select Iranian-American residents from the Los Angeles area to secure facilities in California’s Central Valley. Mullen described the move as “a necessary precaution for the safety and stability of affected communities” amid elevated tensions with Iran.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mullen said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would begin the first phase of the program within the next two weeks. The initial group of participants is expected to resettle at a reconstructed site in Manzanar Relocation Center, a historic site in eastern California’s Owens Valley that the federal government plans to repurpose temporarily for emergency accommodation.. The decision, he said, was based on the site’s “existing infrastructure, remoteness, and security capacity.”
Mullen stressed that the relocation was “not punitive” and “entirely voluntary,” describing it as a “temporary protective measure” aimed at preventing potential backlash or violence against Iranian-American communities if diplomatic relations continue to deteriorate. “The safety of every American, regardless of heritage, is our foremost priority,” he said.
Local leaders and civil rights organizations in Los Angeles expressed deep concern after the announcement. The Iranian American Bar Association issued a statement calling the plan “a troubling echo of a dark chapter in U.S. history” and urged DHS to “immediately reconsider any policy that isolates a community based on national origin.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said it was reviewing the details of the program and planned to “engage directly with DHS to ensure the rights and dignity of all Californians are protected.” Several congressional representatives from California requested an emergency hearing to clarify the legal framework behind the measure.
DHS officials said additional facilities would be brought online “as needed” to accommodate families requesting relocation. No timeline has been set for how long the program might remain in effect.
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