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The Trump administration has officially sent the first planes carrying incarcerated illegal immigrants to Guantánamo Bay.
Some shit you should know before you read: Guantánamo Bay, a US naval base in Cuba, is best known for its detention facility, which has housed terrorism suspects since 2002. The facility became a symbol of human rights controversies, with detainees held indefinitely without trial and reports of harsh interrogation tactics, including waterboarding. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the prison, citing damage to US credibility and national security interests, but congressional opposition blocked its closure. As of 2024, about 30 detainees remain, down from a peak of nearly 800, yet the facility still costs taxpayers an estimated $540 million annually—making it one of the world’s most expensive prisons. The facility has also been used to hold illegal immigrants attempting to enter the US from sea, primarily from countries like Cuba and Haiti. In the past, migrants detained there were typically subject to asylum screenings, with many ultimately resettled in third countries rather than being deported directly back to their home nations.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, the Department of Defense confirmed that the first two flights carrying illegal immigrants have departed for Guantánamo Bay as part of the Trump administration’s plan to use the facility for detaining individuals who entered the US illegally. One of the flights, carrying about a dozen migrants, departed from Fort Bliss, Texas, with additional flights expected in the coming weeks. This marks the first time migrants apprehended within US borders have been transported to the naval base under the Trump administration. Officials have stated that the facility will initially hold a small number of detainees, but capacity will be rapidly expanded.
The Pentagon has already begun implementing a plan to expand Guantánamo Bay’s detention capabilities, with the goal of housing up to 30,000 illegal immigrants in newly constructed facilities. Around 300 US service members have already arrived at the base to provide security and assist in setting up detention infrastructure. Military personnel have started assembling 50 Army green tents within a fenced compound adjacent to the existing Migrant Operations Center, which previously accommodated only a limited number of migrants awaiting resettlement. The administration has emphasized that the facility will primarily house “criminal illegal aliens.”
This all comes as some have raised concerns about the legality of detaining migrants at Guantánamo Bay, particularly those apprehended within US borders. Immigrant advocacy groups have questioned whether detaining illegal migrants outside US jurisdiction could create a gray area in due process rights, leaving detainees with limited access to legal representation or asylum proceedings. Another major issue is the difficulty of repatriating certain individuals, as some home countries refuse to accept deported nationals, forcing the US to hold them indefinitely.
