Guantanamo Bay Expanded for Immigration Detention

The Trump administration has expanded the use of Guantanamo Bay’s naval base in Cuba as an immigration detention center, now holding dozens of foreigners from 26 countries across six continents. Many of the detainees have serious criminal convictions, including homicide, sexual offenses against children, kidnapping, and drug smuggling, and are classified as high-risk, while others with little or no criminal record are considered low-risk. All detainees reportedly have final deportation orders. The individuals are detained separately from those held for the U.S. war on terror. Critics argue this policy blurs the line between civil and criminal detention and raises concerns about human rights and costs. This expansion follows an executive order to maximize capacity at Guantanamo’s Migrant Operations Center as part of President Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.