President Donald Trump’s administration plans to increase the number of undocumented migrants being transferred to the US Naval facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, according to government documents obtained by POLITICO and the Washington Post. The documents, released by the media outlets Tuesday, state that 9,000 undocumented immigrants are currently being vetted for transfer to Guantánamo, with the transfer date being as soon as later this week.
The Migrant Operations Center at the Naval Station Guantánamo Bay was originally opened after the events of 9-11 to hold illegal enemy combatants. The center gained a notorious name during the years it was heavily used after 9-11, becoming known for its extralegal and inhumane conditions of those held there. Since then, especially through the efforts of former President Barack Obama, the number of detainees held there has extremely dwindled.
The new plan for the facility aligns with the Trump administration’s hard crackdown on undocumented immigrants living in the US. This will be the first mass-deportation to Guantánamo after Trump signed an executive order during his first days in office ordering the secretary of defense and the secretary of homeland security to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity. The center can hold up to 30,000 detainees, and Trump’s executive order and these government documents reflect Trump’s plan to use the center to its fullest capacity. The purpose of the facility will be to hold undocumented migrants temporarily until they are transferred to their countries of origin.
POLITICO and the Washington Post reported that this plan has only come together in the last few days, and may be subject to change. Also at issue is a class-action lawsuit pending in Washington, DC, Luna Gutierrez v. Noem, in which civil rights groups are calling for the US Supreme Court to declare holding immigrants at Guantánamo illegal and unconstitutional. The lawsuit cited 10 current immigrant detainees who experienced conditions such as insufficient food and rodent infestations at Guantánamo Bay.
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