The US has halted plans to house migrants in tent structures at Guantanamo Bay due to poor living conditions.
Officials raised concerns that the tents lacked basic necessities like air conditioning and electricity, making them unfit for detention.
The Trump administration initially planned to transfer up to 30,000 migrants from the southern border to Guantanamo. However, officials now say there haven’t been enough arrivals to justify expanding the facilities. Instead, migrants are being held at other detention centers within the naval base.
Last week, 170 migrants were deported from Guantanamo to Venezuela, leaving only 17 people at the base’s detention facility. Officials have set a limit of 50 detainees at the Migrant Operations Center to prevent overcrowding in the tents.
It remains unclear how authorities decide which migrants are sent to Guantanamo. Some officials claim they have criminal backgrounds, while others include individuals with final deportation orders. Of the recent deportees, 126 had criminal records, while 51 had none.
The situation has exposed logistical challenges in handling migrant transfers, with reports of confusion and poor planning among government agencies.