A significant development has unfolded at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, where the US government had planned to house 30,000 migrants. Satellite images show that around two-thirds of the approximately 260 tents installed as part of the operation have been removed.
A significant development has unfolded at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, where the US government had planned to house 30,000 migrants. Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify show that around two-thirds of the approximately 260 tents installed as part of the operation have been removed.
Guantánamo Bay is a US naval base in southeastern Cuba, leased by the US since 1903.
The facility has been at the center of controversy due to its use as a detention center for terrorism suspects following the 9/11 attacks.
Established in 2002, the detention center holds individuals without trial or charge, sparking debates about human rights and international law.
As of 2020, approximately 40 detainees remain at the facility.
The camp began construction just a day after President Trump announced his plan to expand the facility in January. Tents were erected between 30 January and 12 February, with visible construction continuing until 8 March. The expansion marked a significant increase to the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center, which is distinct from the high-security military prison used to hold detainees suspected of terrorism offences.
A US defence official stated that the removal of tents represents a ‘deliberate and efficient use of resources’ rather than a reduction in readiness. The Pentagon spent around $38m on deportation and detention operations at Guantanamo Bay in the first month of operations alone. Satellite images show that as of 16 April, a total of around 175 tents appeared to have been taken down.
It is unclear how many migrants remain at the facility, with some reports suggesting that only a small number were ever held at the base. The White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, insisted in an interview that the base remained open and that ‘a large number of foreign terrorist aliens’ were still there.
The construction of the camp has been met with criticism, with some lawmakers describing it as a ‘wasteful’ use of taxpayer dollars. The cost to fly immigrants out of the US and detain them at Guantanamo Bay is estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars per month. A group of Democrat senators visited the base on 28 March, where they expressed outrage over the scale of the facility’s expansion.
The removal of migrant tents from Guantanamo Bay marks a significant shift in the Trump administration‘s plans for the facility. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how this development will impact the future of the camp and its intended purpose.
