I may not have a military background, but like many Americans, I have deep respect for our armed forces and the role they play in defending this country. That’s why the idea of using domestic military bases as immigration detention centers – including any of the 44 installations in my home state of California – is so troubling.

Donald Trump has never seen much of a line between the military’s true purpose—defending the United States and our allies in wartime—and using it as an extension of domestic law enforcement. That’s a dangerous instinct, and one that’s only become more pronounced as he eyes a second term. Nowhere is that more evident than in recent discussions about using the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

The latest scheme to turn U.S. military bases—like Homestead Air Reserve Base in near my home in Florida—into de facto deportation camps is a dangerous, authoritarian overreach that spits in the face of American values.

Today, I’m deeply concerned that the Trump Administration is considering using U.S. military bases to detain and process immigrants. As a veteran, I believe this would be a serious mistake — not just for those who would be confined, but for the integrity and mission of our military.

As a veteran, when I read that the Trump administration wants to use military facilities to detain migrants – including in my home state of California – I cannot help but be embarrassed, once again, by our inability to live up to [American] values.