The first U.S. military flight deporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay landed in Cuba on Tuesday evening, marking the beginning of an expected increase in deportations to the U.S. naval base. Guantanamo Bay, long associated with detaining foreign nationals linked to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, is now being used to house migrants, a move previously considered by former President Donald Trump. Trump had suggested that the facility could accommodate up to 30,000 people.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who served at Guantanamo Bay during his active-duty military career, has described the facility as an ideal location for housing migrants. To assist in preparing the base for this new role, additional U.S. troops have been deployed, with around 300 service members currently supporting operations at the site, including at least 230 U.S. Marines from the 6th Marine Regiment.
The use of Guantanamo for migrant holding has faced strong criticism. Amy Fischer, director of Amnesty International USA’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Program, condemned the move, calling it “cruel” and accusing the U.S. government of using the facility to violate migrants’ human rights while isolating them from legal and familial support.
In addition to the Guantanamo deportation, U.S. authorities also deported Indian immigrants back to India on a separate flight. This comes after several previous deportation flights to countries such as Ecuador, Guam, Honduras, and Peru, as well as two flights from Colombia returning migrants to their home country.
The U.S. has seen a surge in immigration attempts, especially from India. According to Pew Research Center, over 725,000 Indians live in the U.S. without authorization, making India the third-largest source of unauthorized immigrants, following Mexico and El Salvador. U.S. Border Patrol also reported over 14,000 arrests of Indian nationals along the U.S.-Canada border during the year ending Sept. 30, 2023, a significant increase from previous years.
