A new study has revealed the massive amount of money Donald Trump‘s administration spent on a plan that was never completed at Guantánamo Bay. According to the new report from CBS News. Trump spent about $73 million to transform Guantánamo Bay into a deportation processing center, but the facility has been sitting nearly empty for more than a year.
What was Donald Trump’s plan for Guantánamo Bay?
Shortly after starting his second term in January 2025, the president said at least 30,000 detainees facing deportation would be held at the U.S. military base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
However, the data shows that the facility can only hold 400 beds. The latest report from CBS News also revealed that only six detainees are currently being held at the facility. All of the detainees are Haitian.
Additionally, the report revealed that only 832 detainees were transferred to the site in the past year. The number of government employees at the naval base currently outnumbers the detainees by nearly 100 to one, per CBS News.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren told CBS News that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are “wasting billions in taxpayer funds on a cruel immigration agenda.”
However, the Trump administration continues to defend its use of funds.
“If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, you could end up in Guantánamo Bay, CECOT or a third country. Our message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Lauren Bis told CBS News.
Immigrants with no criminal records are being taken to Guantánamo Bay
The U.S. has historically used Guantánamo Bay as a detention center for some migrants captured at sea. However, the Trump administration started using the facility to house people detained by ICE.
Although Trump initially said only the worst criminals would be held at Guantánamo, CBS News revealed a different story. Per the report, “low-risk” detainees and others without any criminal record have also been taken to the base.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., made a preliminary ruling in December and concluded that it is likely unlawful to use Guantánamo as an immigration detention center. Still, the judge did not block Trump’s plan.
Human rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union continue to challenge Trump’s use of the facility.
“Not only is the Trump administration’s use of Guantánamo unprecedented and illegal, but it serves no legitimate policy goal given the financial and logistical burdens of using this notorious military base for immigration purposes,” ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt told CBS News.