Guantánamo immigration detentions end, US relocates migrants to Louisiana

• U.S. authorities relocated 40 migrants from Guantánamo Bay to Louisiana, marking the end of migrant detention at the naval base. The move follows controversy and operational challenges.
• President Donald Trump initially planned to detain up to 30,000 migrants at Guantánamo Bay, but officials deemed the facility’s conditions inadequate.
• The administration’s migrant detention policy faces ongoing criticism, lawsuits and debate about Guantánamo’s future role.

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The Trump administration transferred the remaining migrants held at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Officials flew 40 men back to the U.S. on Tuesday, March 11, and Wednesday, March 12, after removing 48 other migrants from Guantánamo two weeks earlier.

The administration’s decision comes after months of logistical and legal challenges surrounding the use of the naval base for migrant detention.

How did Guantánamo become part of US immigration policy?

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prepare Guantánamo Bay for migrant detention.

The administration initially planned to hold up to 30,000 individuals at the facility as part of what Trump described as the most extensive deportation operation in U.S. history. However, the number of migrants actually detained at the base remained in the low hundreds.

The policy faced significant hurdles, including ICE’s determination that the tents built at Guantánamo did not meet its detention standards.

The 195 tents, which cost $16 million to construct, lacked basic amenities such as air conditioning, making them unsuitable for long-term use.

What challenges has the administration faced?

The Guantánamo operation saw logistical, financial and legal difficulties. The administration has relied on costly military and nonmilitary flights to transport migrants back and forth, raising questions about the effectiveness of the initiative.

DHS and DOD officials are now debating whether to continue using the base for future migrant detention.

As of now, officials have not scheduled any further flights to Guantánamo. They may reassign some of the hundreds of U.S. troops who set up the facility to assist with border security efforts elsewhere.

Who were the migrants held at Guantánamo?

Among the detainees, 23 were classified as “high threat” individuals and held in the military’s high-security detention facility. The remaining 17 were housed in a separate migrant operations center.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that many of those classified as high threat were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, with charges ranging from murder and assault to drug and weapons trafficking.

Despite these classifications, ICE and DHS have not publicly disclosed the migrants’ identities, countries of origin or the specific crimes authorities have accused them of committing.

How have lawmakers and activists responded?

The administration’s handling of the Guantánamo migrant operation has drawn criticism from lawmakers and civil rights groups.

Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., who toured the facility, described the initiative as “costly, complicated, inefficient, and cruel.” She noted that the administration failed to establish a feasible plan for detaining 30,000 migrants as originally intended.

Legal challenges have also emerged.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups have filed lawsuits challenging the legality of using Guantánamo for migrant detention.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to block officials from transferring three migrants to the base, but authorities later deported them to Venezuela. Another lawsuit aims to prevent the government from transferring additional detainees to the base without legal representation.

What happens next?

With no new flights planned to Guantánamo, the administration appears to be reconsidering its use of the facility. However, Trump officials continue to defend the policy, arguing that Guantánamo is a strategic location for detaining migrants, particularly those considered a security risk.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has suggested that the base could still serve as a holding center for “the worst of the worst” criminals facing deportation.

For now, the 40 transferred migrants will remain in ICE custody in Louisiana as they await further processing and deportation.