The Guantánamo naval base, in Cuba, returned to the center of the U.S. migration debate after President Donald Trump announced, at the start of his new term, a plan to convert it into a large detention center for migrants undergoing deportation. The idea aimed to demonstrate a hard line on irregular immigration and reinforce the political message of border control. However, more than one year later, the operation does not reflect the promised scale.
According to a review of internal documents cited by CBS News, the government was holding only 6 migrant detainees at Guantánamo on May 11. All were Haitian citizens. That figure contrasts with the initial promise to enable 30,000 beds for people subject to expulsion from the country.
The gap between the political announcement and operational reality fueled new criticism over the use of public resources, the legality of the scheme, and the symbolic role of Guantánamo within Trump’s migration strategy. It also reopened questions about whether the real goal was to house thousands of people or send a deterrent message to those planning to enter the United States without authorization.
Why Does Guantánamo Remain Nearly Empty?
The first striking detail is the base’s actual capacity. Although Trump spoke of 30,000 beds, federal documents cited by CBS News indicate that Guantánamo would have space for approximately 400 migrant slots. Even taking that lower figure, the occupancy reported in May did not reach 2%, revealing a huge gap between official discourse and available infrastructure.
Additionally, the operation has moved hundreds of people, but not in a stable manner. The same report notes that over the past year, 832 migrant detainees were transferred to the base in more than 100 flights. This suggests that Guantánamo has functioned more as a temporary transit point than as a massive prolonged detention center.
Added to the low occupancy is another paradox: there are far more employees than detainees. Information provided to Congress shows that the Department of Defense assigned 522 personnel members to the mission. To them are added approximately 60 ICE workers and non-military staff. In other words, at some points the ratio would have been around 100 officials for every detained migrant.
What Does This Operation Cost and Why Does It Generate Criticism?
The second focus of controversy is cost. Information provided to Senator Elizabeth Warren indicates that the migration operation at Guantánamo could cost 73 million dollars for the military component alone. That figure far exceeds previous estimates, which had placed spending at around 40 million.
That increase is particularly sensitive because the base is not being used at full capacity. Maintaining such a costly structure with so few detainees has led critics of the plan to denounce an inefficient use of
