Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth toured Guantanamo Bay to review operations related to the detention and deportation of undocumented migrants, marking his first visit since taking office in January.
• The Trump administration has repurposed the naval base, historically associated with detaining terrorism suspects, to hold migrants awaiting deportation, with plans to expand capacity to 30,000 detainees.
• Hegseth described the base as the 'front lines of the war against America's southern border' and praised troops for their role in supporting immigration enforcement efforts.
• The facility currently houses 17 migrants designated as 'high threat' and has processed over 170 Venezuelan migrants for deportation, with recent flights returning individuals to Venezuela.
• Civil liberties groups, including the ACLU, have criticized the administration's use of Guantanamo for migrants, citing concerns over access to legal representation and human rights issues.