Pentagon considers reducing migrant troops at Guantanamo

WASHINGTON – Military leaders are currently reevaluating the number of U.S. troops stationed at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. This reassessment could potentially reduce the personnel dedicated to managing detained migrants by about 50%, given that there are currently no detainees at the facility, and ongoing legal challenges have hampered operations, sources have revealed.
The review is being conducted at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has tasked the military’s Southern Command with devising a strategy to determine the necessary force size and additional facilities that might be required should future detainees arrive. Officials associated with the plan suggest that it will likely propose the withdrawal of a significant number of the current 900 troops stationed at the base. One senior figure indicated that this could result in reducing troop levels by half.
These developments come as the Southern Command formulates strategies to adapt to the absence of detainee transfers since early March. Despite this, the current administration maintains the possibility of sending new “high-threat” detainees to the base.
Since February, U.S. officials have relocated at least 290 detainees to Guantanamo, but a flight on March 11 moved the remaining 40 to Louisiana, emptying the detention facility. While Guantanamo Bay is recognized for detaining individuals linked to the September 11, 2001, attacks, it also houses a longstanding facility used to accommodate migrants intercepted while attempting to reach the U.S. via sea routes. Recently, this facility has been employed as part of President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to fortify the southern border.
President Trump has expressed intentions to send particularly dangerous criminal migrants to Guantanamo. However, civil rights lawyers argue that the administration has overstepped its jurisdiction by transferring individuals lacking criminal records, thus violating U.S. immigration legislation.
A recent court decision ruled against advocates challenging these transfers, though the judgment largely relied on the fact that, as of now, there are no migrant detainees housed at the base. Meanwhile, the approximately 900 military personnel, including 500 Army soldiers, about 300 Marines, and several dozen sailors and airmen, find their roles diminished due to the current context of the detainee program.
Anticipated adjustments by Southern Command might send numerous service members back to the U.S., although they or replacements could be asked to stand by for quick redeployment if necessary. Presently, there are nearly 800 soldiers stateside on prepare-to-deploy orders, ready to be dispatched to Guantanamo swiftly if situations demand.
Recently, civil rights attorneys reacted against the Trump administration’s attempts to transfer 10 U.S.-detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay. Allegations from formerly held individuals describe experiences of mistreatment, with one detainee likening the conditions to “a living hell.”
The overseeing judge emphasized that the court might revisit this matter if the government resumes detainee transfers to Guantanamo. However, no specific timeline was provided for the government to update on potential future transfers.
The initial transfers to Guantanamo Bay commenced on February 4, with the first military flight departing from Fort Bliss. These operations initially relocated Venezuelan nationals, leading to a subsequent transfer of 177 detainees that included a short detour in Honduras.