logo
ENع
Guantánamo Migrant Operation Has Held Fewer Than 500 Detainees, and None in Tents

Guantánamo Migrant Operation Has Held Fewer Than 500 Detainees, and None in Tents

New York Times05-05-2025

The Trump administration had erected dozens of tents to house migrants at the base, but it began removing many of them in early April.
June 22, 2023
Migrant Operations
Center
Feb. 4, 2025
Buildup of tent
infrastructure
April 1
154 migrant
housing tents
105 military
support tents
April 20
Tents
removed
Remaining
tents
Source: Satellite images from Planet Labs
By Bora Erden
American military forces have taken down some of the tents they hurriedly set up on an empty corner of the U.S. naval station at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, three months after President Trump ordered preparations to house up to 30,000 migrants at the base.No migrants were ever held in the tents, and no migrant surge has ever occurred. On Monday, the operation was housing just 32 migrants, in buildings that were established years ago.
A total of 497 migrants have been held there for just days or weeks, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses the base as a way station to hold small numbers of detainees designated for deportation.
Instead, the Homeland Security and Defense Departments have reached an agreement to house dozens, not thousands, of ICE detainees at the base on any given day. Full costs of the operation have not been disclosed.
The military says it can pivot and expand migrant operations at Guantánamo, depending on need. But the decision to dismantle at least some of the tents demonstrates that the Defense and Homeland Security Departments do not currently plan to house tens of thousands of migrants on the base, as the president envisioned.
The tents and cots that served as a backdrop of the high-profile Feb. 7 visit by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, have been inventoried and stashed for future possible use, according to a Defense Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the president's migrant mission is considered politically sensitive.
Over the weekend, the task force in charge of migrant detention at Guantánamo Bay was holding 32 migrants awaiting deportation and had about 725 staff members, mostly uniformed Army and Marine forces, with 100 employed by ICE as security officers or contractors.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Hashtags

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Huckabee: State Department is evacuating Americans from Israel amid Iran conflict
Huckabee: State Department is evacuating Americans from Israel amid Iran conflict

USA Today

time19 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Huckabee: State Department is evacuating Americans from Israel amid Iran conflict

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also posted actions people can take to remain safe including learning the location of the nearest bomb shelters. The State Department has begun evacuating American citizens and permanent residents from Israel and the West Bank, U.S Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on social media as the Israel-Iran war enters a second week. 'The Department of State has begun assisted departure flights from Israel,' Huckabee wrote in a post on X on June 21 asking people seeking government assistance to fill out a form. Huckabee also posted actions people can take to remain safe including learning the location of the nearest bomb shelters, avoiding large gatherings and monitoring local media. The State Department did not immediately respond to questions asking about the number of Americans it expects to retrieve from Israel. The conflict started a week ago when Israel began conducting airstrikes against Iranian nuclear and military sites, primarily targeting uranium enrichment facilities to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The two countries have been engaged in aerial strikes while President Donald Trump is mulling over the possibility of U.S. involvement to help Israel destroy Iranian nuclear facilities. Hundreds of Americans have left Iran in the last week, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. Trump is expected meet his national security team on the evening of June 21 to discuss possible U.S. involvement in the conflict .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store