U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday plans to expand a migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to accommodate up to 30,000 migrants. The move has drawn swift criticism from human rights groups and foreign leaders.
The U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, already hosts a migrant facility separate from the high-security prison holding terrorism suspects. This facility has been used intermittently over the decades to detain migrants, including Haitians and Cubans intercepted at sea.
“Today I’m signing an executive order instructing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said at the White House. He emphasized that the facility would house “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
Trump’s border advisor, Tom Homan, confirmed that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency would oversee the expanded facility. “The center will be used for the ‘worst of the worst’,” Homan told reporters.
When asked about the costs involved, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the administration is working on funding details with Congress.
Criticism and Concerns
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned Trump’s plan, calling it “an act of brutality.” Human rights organizations have also voiced concerns, highlighting past reports of unsanitary conditions and lack of services at the migrant facility.
The International Refugee Assistance Project released a report in 2024 detailing issues at the facility, including families with young children housed alongside single adults, limited access to confidential communication, and no educational services for children.
Pro-refugee groups are urging Congress to investigate alleged abuses and are calling for the closure of the Guantanamo migrant facility.
Background and Context
The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay was established in 2002 under President George W. Bush to detain foreign militants after the September 11 attacks. While Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden attempted to close the prison, they were only able to reduce its population. Trump has vowed to keep it open.
Guantanamo Bay has long been a contentious symbol due to allegations of indefinite detention and harsh interrogation methods that critics argue amount to torture.
The expansion of migrant detention facilities comes amid other measures by the Trump administration to address immigration. The U.S. military recently announced it would permit ICE to detain migrants at Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado. Additionally, over 1,600 active-duty troops have been deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border following Trump’s emergency declaration on immigration.
