On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump made an announcement that could change how the country handles migrants. He said he would order the U.S. military and the Department of Homeland Security to get ready to build a special place at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 migrants.
Guantanamo Bay is a U.S. naval base that already has a facility where migrants, like people from Haiti and Cuba, have been held in the past when they were picked up at sea. However, this new facility would be separate from the high-security prison that is already there for foreign terrorism suspects.
Tom Homan, who helps manage immigration in the U.S., explained that the plan is to expand the current facility to make room for more people. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency will be in charge of running the expanded center.
Trump spoke from the White House and explained his decision. He said, “Today, I’m signing an order to get the Pentagon and Homeland Security ready to set up a facility at Guantanamo Bay for as many as 30,000 migrants.” He added that this place would hold “the worst criminal illegal aliens” who are a threat to the American people. Some of these people are considered so dangerous that the U.S. doesn’t trust their home countries to keep them safe, so they would be sent to Guantanamo instead. This new facility would increase the space immediately, making it tougher to escape.
Later, Trump signed a document that instructed the government to create more room at the facility, but he didn’t say exactly how many migrants would be held there. It was clear, though, that the center would be used for the most dangerous criminals.
Kristi Noem, who works with Homeland Security, was asked about how much money the government would need to pay for this new facility. She said they were still working on the financial details with Congress.
The History of Guantanamo Bay’s Prison
The Guantanamo Bay detention facility was first set up in 2002 by President George W. Bush. It was meant to hold suspects related to terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Today, only 15 people remain in the prison.
Previous Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden wanted to close the Guantanamo prison, but they weren’t able to do it. Trump, however, has said he will keep the prison open.
The Guantanamo prison has been criticized by human rights groups for holding people without giving them a trial and using harsh techniques that many believe were torture. This made it a symbol of the United States’ “war on terror” and the excesses that came with it.
Controversy Around Migrants at Guantanamo
The new plan to hold migrants at Guantanamo Bay has caused a lot of reactions. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called Trump’s plan “an act of brutality.”
Groups that help refugees are upset by the idea of using Guantanamo to hold migrants. They have asked Congress to look into possible mistreatment of people at the facility.
A 2024 report from the International Refugee Assistance Project shared troubling stories from people who had been held at the migrant facility. They described dirty conditions, families with young children being held with adults who weren’t related to them, no private phone calls, and no educational services for children.
Other Actions on Immigration
In addition to the Guantanamo Bay plan, the U.S. military has allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold migrants at the Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado. This is part of a larger effort to handle immigration issues. The U.S. military has also been sending deportation flights to take migrants out of the country and has sent over 1,600 active-duty soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border after Trump declared an immigration emergency last week.
This plan to hold migrants at Guantanamo Bay is part of the ongoing debate over how the United States should handle immigration and how it treats people seeking refuge. Some people believe it’s a necessary step to protect the country, while others see it as an unfair and harsh treatment of migrants.