The Trump administration is preparing to launch a large-scale program to transfer undocumented migrants to the Guantanamo Bay naval base, with more than 9,000 individuals currently under review for possible relocation, according to documents obtained by Politico.
This would mark a significant escalation compared to the roughly 500 migrants who have already passed through the facility since February for short-term stays.
The plan reflects an initiative announced by Donald Trump in January to use the facility—historically associated with the detention of terrorism suspects—to house up to 30,000 migrants.
According to the documents, the first transfers could begin as early as Wednesday.
Officially, the move is intended to relieve overcrowded detention centers on the U.S. mainland. Unofficially, it is also seen as a deterrent message against illegal immigration.
Although recently finalized, the plans remain subject to change.
Sources cited in the documents say the Department of Homeland Security does not intend to notify the countries of origin in advance about these transfers, according to Politico.
Spokespeople for both the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department did not respond to Politico’s requests for comment.
At the same time, the White House is increasing pressure on immigration agencies to ramp up arrests. Senior policy adviser Stephen Miller has reportedly demanded 3,000 arrests per day. ICE, which is facing a shortage of detention space, is requesting additional funding from Congress to hire more staff and expand domestic detention capacity.
The plan extends beyond Latin America: around 800 European nationals are also being considered for transfer to Guantanamo, including 170 Russians, 100 Romanians, and one Austrian, Politico reported.
This aspect of the plan has caused alarm within the State Department, with some diplomats pointing out that most European countries are U.S. allies and already cooperate in repatriating their nationals. “The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset them,” a State Department official familiar with the situation told Politico, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But we are allies.”
Plan Faces Legal and Logistical Challenges
The proposal comes amid ongoing legal challenges aiming to prevent the use of Guantanamo as a migrant detention center.
A federal class-action lawsuit underway in Washington claims that 70 migrant detainees currently held at the base are subjected to “punitive” conditions, including insufficient food, weekly clothing changes, and rodent infestations. “The government has identified no legitimate purpose that is served by holding immigrant detainees at Guantanamo, rather than at detention facilities inside the United States,” ACLU attorneys argued in the case, according to Politico. They accuse the administration of using the threat of detention at the base to intimidate migrants, trigger voluntary departures, and discourage future migration.
The case is currently before federal judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by President Trump.
Simultaneously, court filings indicate the facility costs $100,000 per day per detainee. Senator Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, recently highlighted the extraordinary nature of this cost.
Trump’s January order to house up to 30,000 people at Guantanamo reportedly shocked Pentagon officials, who raised concerns about tropical weather conditions, limited staff, restricted medical access, and the broader logistical and financial strain as the military is increasingly drawn into border security operations.
Since February, approximately 500 migrants have been held at the Guantanamo facility, according to court filings. The base previously held 178 migrants before a sudden transfer of Venezuelan detainees out of the facility. At that time, in a February 20 court filing, the administration stated that the detention center would be used only for temporary holding. “The removal also underscores that immigration detention at [Guantanamo Bay] is intended for temporary staging and not for indefinite detention, as Petitioners have suggested in their filings,” Justice Department attorneys stated, according to Politico.
Still, uncertainty remains about how long newly transferred individuals would stay at Guantanamo before being returned to their countries of origin.
