U.S. Deploys More Troops to Guantanamo as Court Filing Reveals Many Migrants Were ‘Low Threat’

According to a defense source, the number of U.S. troops stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has continued to grow. As of Thursday, about 1,100 service members were stationed at the naval base. The increase in staff is related to the Biden administration's attempts to detain migrants, which are being looked at more closely by the law.

Nearly one-third of the migrants sent to Guantanamo since the beginning of the month were labeled as "low threat" by the Department of Homeland Security, according to a court document filed Thursday. The government made the filing in reaction to a lawsuit brought by advocacy groups that questioned the administration's policies on holding migrants.

At the same time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that 177 migrants from Venezuela were taken from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras and then picked up by officials in Venezuela and sent back to their home country. All of the migrants who were being held were moved off of the installation. This was later confirmed by a defense source on Friday.

As the court battles continue, the growing number of troops at Guantánamo shows that the administration is still committed to controlling the flow of migrants, even though human rights groups and lawmakers are calling for more openness.

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