US Begins Flying Migrants to Guantanamo Bay

US has been erecting a tent city at the base in Cuba to temporarily hold people
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 4, 2025 12:48 PM CST
First Migrant Flights Leave for Guantanamo Bay
A 2021 file photo of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The first two military flights taking migrants detained in the US to the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba have taken off, reports the Wall Street Journal. It's part of President Trump's plan to dramatically ramp up the base's ability to temporarily house migrants. The New York Times reports that servicemembers have been erecting a tent city on a remote corner of the military base in recent days. The base has previously been used to detain migrants, but generally those who were intercepted at sea.

Gitmo typically can hold about 120 migrants, but the new tent city may eventually have up to 30,000 deportees. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday that it's "not the plan" to hold migrants at the base for a long period. "Due process will be followed," she said. "We will work with Congress to make sure that we're addressing our legal immigration laws and using Guantanamo Bay appropriately." (More Guantanamo Bay stories.)

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