Trump Considers Transferring 9,000 Migrants to Guantanamo Bay

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly planning to transfer up to 9,000 undocumented migrants to the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with transfers potentially beginning as early as this week, according to reports from The Washington Post and Politico on Tuesday.

Officials informed the outlets that the individuals being considered for transfer to Guantanamo are from various countries, including Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Haiti, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The U.S. has housed approximately 500 migrants at Guantanamo since February. However, sources familiar with the plans said that the facility is now preparing to conduct medical examinations on 9,000 individuals to determine their eligibility for transfer.

Guantanamo is widely recognized for its controversial history, particularly since the September 11, 2001, attacks, when it became a primary site for detaining suspected terrorists captured by the U.S. military. Many of these detainees were never convicted.

In January, Trump announced intentions to use Guantanamo to house up to 30,000 undocumented migrants. The proposed transfers could commence as early as Wednesday, June 12, 2025, with the goal of temporarily housing detainees before their eventual deportation to their home countries.

This move is part of President Trump’s broader efforts to intensify immigration enforcement, including increased arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants through large-scale raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"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, as reported by Anadolu. He added that the Trump administration plans to continue increasing that number.

The official justification for these transfers is to free up bed capacity in mainland detention centers.

Documents obtained by Politico and The Washington Post also suggest that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may not notify the migrants’ countries of origin before their transfer to Guantanamo.

The majority of migrants slated for transfer hail from European allies and partners, reportedly raising concerns among U.S. diplomats. Approximately 800 Europeans, including one Austrian, 100 Romanians, and 170 Russians, are among those being considered for transfer, according to one document.

State Department officials responsible for European affairs are reportedly attempting to persuade DHS to abandon the plan. "The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people. But we’re allies," one State Department official told Politico.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit to prevent the government from transferring detainees to Guantanamo. The case is currently pending.

A federal class-action lawsuit filed in Washington alleges that about 70 migrant detainees already held at Guantanamo are facing "punitive" conditions, including inadequate food, infrequent clothing changes, and rat infestations.

"The government has identified no legitimate purpose that is served by holding immigrant detainees at Guantanamo, rather than at detention facilities inside the United States,” ACLU attorneys argued in the lawsuit.

"Instead, defendants are using the threat of detention at Guantanamo to frighten immigrants, deter future migration, induce self-deportation, and coerce people in detention to give up claims against removal and accept deportation elsewhere."

The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump.

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