U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to direct the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prepare a migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, capable of housing up to 30,000 immigrants. This move signals a significant expansion of the U.S. naval base’s role in immigration enforcement and reinforces the Trump administration’s stringent approach to curbing illegal immigration.
A Bold and Controversial Move
The Guantanamo Bay naval base already includes a migrant facility, separate from the high-security prison used to detain foreign terrorism suspects. This facility has been used sporadically over the years, including to house Haitian and Cuban migrants intercepted at sea. However, the proposed expansion to accommodate tens of thousands of migrants would mark a dramatic increase in the Pentagon’s involvement in immigration enforcement efforts.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump declared, “Today, I am signing an executive order directing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay.” He stated that the facility would be used to detain “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” adding, “Some of them are so dangerous that we don’t even trust their home countries to hold them. We don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send them to Guantanamo.”
Doubling Detention Capacity
Trump framed the decision as a necessary step to “immediately double our capacity” to hold undocumented migrants, aligning with his administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration. The announcement coincided with the signing of a bill that allows for the pre-trial detention of undocumented migrants charged with theft and violent crimes. The bill is named after a U.S. student allegedly killed by a Venezuelan immigrant.
International Backlash
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel quickly condemned the plan, calling it an “act of brutality.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Díaz-Canel criticized the use of Guantanamo Bay, which he described as “illegally occupied Cuban territory,” and highlighted the proximity of the proposed migrant facility to areas he claimed were used for “torture and illegal detention.”
Funding and Implementation Questions
The Pentagon has not yet commented on the plan, but DHS personnel are expected to manage the detained migrants. Key details, such as how the facility will be funded and operationalized, remain unclear. The existing detention center at Guantanamo Bay was established in 2002 under President George W. Bush to hold foreign terrorism suspects following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Currently, only 15 detainees remain in the high-security prison, which is separate from the migrant facility.
Concerns Over Conditions and Human Rights
Pro-refugee and human rights organizations have long called for the closure of the Guantanamo migrant facility, citing allegations of poor conditions and abuses. A 2024 report by the International Refugee Assistance Project documented unsanitary conditions, the housing of families with young children alongside single adults, limited access to confidential phone calls, and a lack of educational services for children.
Broader Implications and Challenges
The expansion of the Guantanamo migrant facility reflects the Trump administration’s continued focus on strict immigration enforcement. However, the plan is likely to face significant legal, logistical, and ethical hurdles. Critics argue that detaining migrants in such a remote and controversial location could worsen humanitarian concerns and further strain U.S.-Cuba relations.
As the Trump administration moves forward with this plan, it will likely face scrutiny from the international community and human rights advocates. The decision highlights the ongoing debate over U.S. immigration policy and raises critical questions about the balance between national security and the protection of human rights.
