Guantanamo: From War on Terror to War on Migrants

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The U.S. has continued to send migrants to Guantanamo Bay, reports CBS. The facility now holds 72 people from more than two dozen countries.

The Trump administration announced in January it would send thousands of migrants to Guantanamo, sparking concerns from human rights groups. The post-9/11 prison complex is infamous for torture and abuse. 

Last month, Politico reported that Trump was vetting 9,000 people to be sent to Guantanamo, amid questions by members of Congress concerning the prison conditions and the high cost of such a program.

“GTMO” has not held this many people since the 1990s. Back then, Cuban and Haitian migrants intercepted at sea were kept in camps.

Cuba has consistently demanded the return of the base, which is Cuban sovereign territory. U.S. Marines first occupied Guantanamo Bay in 1898 during Cuba's War of Independence against Spain. The U.S. obtained the "right" to establish naval bases in Cuba at gunpoint in 1901, and secured Guantanamo Bay two years later. The U.S. holds a perpetual “lease” that only ends when both countries agree to do so. In exchange, the U.S. paid Cuba $2,000 in gold coins per year in “rent” until 1934, and $4,085 per year subsequently. The Cuban government considers the lease illegitimate and has refused to cash the checks.