WP: Trump administration plans to secretly send thousands of migrants to Guantanamo Bay, including Ukrainians
11 June 2025 14:56
Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to begin transferring thousands of foreigners staying in the United States illegally to the Guantanamo Bay military base.
This was reported by The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Among the migrants to be transferred are citizens of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, and a significant number of people from Haiti.
Preparations for the relocation include a medical examination of 9,000 people to determine their suitability for transportation. This is a significant increase in the number of migrants at the base, which was previously used to hold several hundred people.
According to the sources, the governments of the countries of origin will not be officially notified of the transfer of their citizens. The administration justifies the decision by the need to relieve domestic detention centers, which are overcrowded amid Trump’s campaign to deport illegal immigrants en masse.
In January, Trump announced plans to send up to 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay. In March, some of the already displaced persons were returned to centers in Louisiana due to a lack of space, which, according to critics, indicates that the base is not ready for large-scale accommodation.
This move is expected to cause concern among US allies. Some countries have already offered to accept their citizens, but, according to U.S. officials, have been “too slow to act.”
Guantánamo Bay has been repeatedly criticized by human rights activists for the conditions of detention of migrants. A 2024 report by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) reported “inhumane” treatment of detainees who were held at the base indefinitely.
