Without Warning: Migrants from Europe and Haiti May Be Sent to Guantánamo

The Trump administration is moving to transfer potentially thousands of undocumented immigrants to the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, possibly as early as this week, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plan.

The individuals targeted for relocation come from a wide range of countries, including key U.S. allies in Europe such as Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and the Netherlands, as well as nations like Ukraine, Turkey, and Haiti. Officials, who provided details and documents to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, described the plans as highly sensitive and not yet finalized.

What’s striking is that the administration doesn’t plan to notify the home governments of those being sent to Guantánamo, even close allies like Germany and the U.K. would be kept in the dark.

The proposal marks a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Inside the White House, hard-liners have been pushing for sweeping arrests and deportations. The Department of Homeland Security has begun medically screening 9,000 migrants to assess whether they’re fit for transfer to the infamous Caribbean base, known globally for its role in detaining terrorism suspects in the wake of 9/11.

Whether the base is prepared to house that many people is unclear. Earlier this year, only a few hundred migrants cycled through Guantánamo, far short of the 9,000 now being considered.

Administration officials say the move is about relieving overcrowded detention facilities across the U.S., as President Trump pushes ahead with his promise to orchestrate the largest deportation operation in American history.

Back in January, Trump vowed to send up to 30,000 migrants to the base. But by March, those who had been sent there were quietly transferred back to mainland facilities in Louisiana, prompting speculation that the base couldn’t handle the load.

In response to mounting reports about the administration’s immigration plans, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to social media, dismissing it with a blunt post, “Fake News. Not happening.”

A Defense Department official also sidestepped questions, saying, “Ongoing missions at Naval Station Guantánamo remain unchanged, and we do not comment on any speculative future missions.”

Still, internal documents suggest DHS may seek to keep detainees at Guantánamo for longer periods, even though the stated goal is to “minimize” their time there.

Such a move is sure to spark international backlash. Guantánamo Bay has long been synonymous with human rights abuses and has drawn condemnation from allies and human rights groups alike. Officials acknowledged that some foreign governments have said they’re willing to repatriate their citizens, but DHS appears impatient with what it views as bureaucratic delays.

Within Trump’s orbit, the pressure to ramp up arrests is intensifying.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told Fox News last month.

White House border czar Tom Homan echoed that sentiment.

“We’ve got to increase these arrests and removals,” he said.

In anticipation of a surge, DHS requested an expansion of a medium-security facility at the base, from a capacity of 140 to 300 detainees, according to a congressional aide.

Earlier this year, U.S. forces at Guantánamo constructed a tent city with 195 structures capable of holding more than 3,000 people. But when the expected influx didn’t materialize, the tents were quietly dismantled without ever being used.

As the administration revisits the possibility of using Guantánamo Bay for migrant detention, it raises a host of unresolved questions about the facility’s capacity, the legal and human rights implications, and the potential international response.

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