Human Rights Organizations Unite Against Guantánamo Migrant Camp Proposal
Dozens of prominent US and international human rights organizations have issued a forceful condemnation of the Trump administration's controversial plans to establish a migrant "camp" at the Guantánamo Bay military base. This proposal, aimed at housing Cubans fleeing potential humanitarian crises, has sparked widespread outrage and concern among advocacy groups worldwide.
Joint Letter Expresses "Profound Concern" Over Military Plans
Eighty-five human rights organizations plan to submit a joint letter to US senators and House representatives, exclusively shared with the Guardian, expressing their "profound concern" regarding recent comments from Department of Defense officials. The letter describes any prospect of further migrant detention at the base as "deeply troubling and unacceptable."
During a US Senate armed services committee hearing on March 19, General Francis Donovan, commander of US Southern Command (Southcom), testified that the Pentagon would "set up a camp" at Guantánamo Bay to "deal with" migrants in the event of what Republican Senator Tom Cotton described as "any humanitarian crisis" in Cuba. Donovan stated that Southcom was under orders to "support DHS in a mass migration event" and would establish facilities "primarily at Guantánamo Bay."
Historical Context and Current Controversy
The controversy emerges against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the US and Cuba. The United Nations warned in February that Cuba could be on the brink of humanitarian "collapse" following Donald Trump's attempts to block oil supplies from reaching the island and repeated threats against Cuba's communist government. "If the Trump administration is worried about Cuban migration, the solution is simple: stop intentionally impoverishing the Cuban people through an embargo and fuel blockade," said Michael Galant of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, one of the letter's signatories.
The organizations' letter to lawmakers states unequivocally: "Guantánamo should be a relic of the past. We call on you to act without delay to ensure not another dollar goes towards the detention facilities at Guantánamo, ensure the base is never again used for unlawful mass detention of any group of people, and end the coercive and punitive policy of sanctions and the embargo driving the humanitarian crisis."
Expansion of Migrant Operations at Guantánamo
In a radical escalation of immigration enforcement early last year, Trump signed an executive order to expand migrant detention operations at Guantánamo and began sending immigrants from the US to be held there, often en route to deportation. Approximately 780 immigrants detained in the US have been sent to Guantánamo since February of last year, sometimes for weeks at a time, according to a New York Times tally.
The Migrant Operations Center (MOC) at Guantánamo, under the purview of both the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, has been used for decades to detain a small number of migrants interdicted at sea. The Guardian revealed last year that the private US government contractor running the MOC has faced scrutiny for conditions inside other immigration jails it operates.
Temporary Structures and Dismantled Plans
In February 2025, the administration rapidly erected tents at Guantánamo Bay as part of a costly and controversial plan to detain an estimated 30,000 migrants, aligning with the second Trump administration's focus on a harsh anti-immigration agenda. However, these tents were never utilized and have since been dismantled. Despite this, military officials indicate the site could still be repurposed as a migrant camp if needed.
Broad Coalition of Opposition
The letter has been signed by a diverse coalition of organizations including:
- The Center for Constitutional Rights, which has represented dozens of detainees held at Guantánamo since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
- The Center for Victims of Torture
- A chapter of Amnesty International
- The Center for Economic and Policy Research
- Refugees International
- The justice team at Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Detention Watch Network
Yumna Rizvi, a senior policy analyst for the Center for Victims of Torture, articulated the coalition's position: "Guantánamo stands alone in its reputation as the most heinous and dangerous place the US president can possibly send you – outside view, under the radar, beyond the law. The US can provide immediate relief to the Cuban people, but instead is choosing to cause irreparable harm and then double down by threatening detention at Guantánamo for Cubans who need to flee because of his own actions. It is outrageous."
The letter emphasizes that both the terrorism-related detention center and the less well-known migrant detention facilities at Guantánamo "have long been known for inhumane conditions, mistreatment, and due process violations." As the Trump administration turns its attention toward Cuba following the January abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro – with Trump declaring "Cuba is next, by the way" in March – human rights advocates are mobilizing to prevent what they view as a dangerous expansion of detention practices at a facility with a troubled human rights history.
