Defense Secretary Hegseth Visits Guantanamo Bay to Oversee Migrant Detention Operations

The visit highlights the Trump administration's controversial use of the facility for detaining and deporting undocumented migrants as part of its immigration crackdown.

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.