Deportation Flights to Guantanamo Bay for Detained Migrants Have Begun

On Tuesday, the first US flights carrying detained migrants arrived at the Guantanamo military base in Cuba, marking a significant step in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration. Although Guantanamo is most infamous for holding terrorism suspects, Trump’s administration has expanded its use, with plans to create a 30,000-person “migrant facility” there.

"Today, the first flights from the United States to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during an appearance on Fox Business.

Trump has made combating illegal migration a central issue of his second term, highlighting immigration raids, arrests, and deportations using military aircraft as part of his broader strategy. On the international front, the Trump administration has also pressured Colombia with sanctions and tariffs for turning away deportees, further underscoring his hardline approach.

While Guantanamo is widely known as a detention center for terrorism suspects, including individuals accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks, its role in detaining migrants is less well-known. Both Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden attempted to close the facility, but Congress blocked those efforts, leaving the base in operation.

Currently, Guantanamo holds 15 individuals linked to terrorism-related offenses, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. However, migrants will be held in a separate section of the base.

US Southern Command reports that approximately 300 US military personnel are stationed at Guantanamo to support the detention of migrants. The base has a long history of being used to house Caribbean asylum seekers and refugees, particularly from Haiti and Cuba, who were detained there in the 1990s before being repatriated after extended periods.

Since Trump's inauguration, thousands of undocumented migrants have been detained, many for alleged criminal activities. Some have already been deported to countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala, while Trump has vowed to expel millions more.

During a visit to the US-Mexico border, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Guantanamo as the "perfect place" to detain migrants. The Pentagon has pledged to provide necessary resources to support the expulsion and detention efforts under the Trump administration's immigration policies.