A U.S. military aircraft transporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay successfully touched down in Cuba on Tuesday evening, marking a significant move in the projected increase of deportations to the naval base. Historically, Guantanamo Bay has served primarily as a location for detaining foreign individuals connected to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Former President Donald Trump had previously promoted this facility as a potential site for holding migrants, asserting that it could accommodate up to 30,000 individuals. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has experience from his own deployment at Guantanamo, described it as an “ideal location” for these individuals. In preparation for this surge, additional military personnel have recently been deployed to the base.
Amy Fischer, who heads the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program at a prominent human rights organization, criticized the decision to utilize Guantanamo Bay for migrants. She emphasized the detrimental effects of such deportations, stating, “Sending migrants to Guantanamo is a deeply inhumane and expensive choice. It will isolate people from their legal representation, families, and necessary support, essentially placing them in a void while the U.S. government continues to breach their human rights away from public view. It’s time to permanently close Guantanamo.”
Additionally, the U.S. government repatriated Indian migrants back to India on Monday, as confirmed by a second source familiar with the situation. This comes in light of various recent deportation efforts, which included seven flights directed to Ecuador, Guam, Honduras, and Peru. Moreover, Colombian authorities also organized return flights for migrants back to their homeland.
Currently, around 300 military personnel are involved in supporting the operations at Guantanamo Bay. The total number of service members present will fluctuate in accordance with the demands set by the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the operations. Notably, at least 230 of those personnel are Marines from the 6th Marine Regiment who began their engagement at Guantanamo last Friday.
In the context of immigration dynamics, over 725,000 undocumented individuals from India reside in the United States, ranking third in numbers after those from Mexico and El Salvador, according to new research findings. The last few years have also witnessed a notable increase in Indian migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. via the Canadian border. The U.S. Border Patrol reported apprehending more than 14,000 Indians at the Canadian border for the year ending September 30, making up 60% of all border arrests—an uptick more than tenfold compared to two years prior.
