Trump's grand vision of cramming 30,000 migrants into the infamous Guantanamo Bay military base is crumbling faster than his promises. A recent report exposes the stark reality: the base is nearly deserted, housing a mere six Haitian detainees as of Monday.
While the number of detainees dwindles, the price tag for this operation skyrockets. The military is on track to burn through over $70 million, according to documents leaked to a Senate Democrat. Talk about a budget blowout!
After reclaiming the White House, Trump was adamant about shipping tens of thousands of migrants to Guantanamo. In January 2025, he ordered the Defense and Homeland Security Departments to ramp up the Migrant Operations Center to “full capacity.”
“We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” Trump declared, insisting that some were so dangerous that even their home countries couldn’t be trusted to keep them locked up.
But hold on—CBS News revealed that many of these so-called “worst criminals” are actually nonviolent offenders with clean records. So much for the tough talk!
Lauren Bis from Homeland Security chimed in, stating, “If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, you could end up in Guantanamo Bay, CECOT, or a third country.” Sounds like a warm welcome, right?
CECOT, an El Salvadoran prison notorious for its inhumane conditions, is one of the alternatives. And let’s not forget Guantanamo itself, which has a dark history of human rights violations and torture since its inception in 2002.
Despite Trump’s lofty goals, the actual number of migrants sent to Guantanamo barely scratches the surface—only 832 detainees were transferred there over the past year via more than 100 flights. That’s a far cry from 30,000!
With a staggering 100 government employees for every single migrant at Guantanamo this week, the operation is costing taxpayers a jaw-dropping $73 million. Senator Elizabeth Warren didn’t hold back, accusing Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of “wasting billions in taxpayer funds on a cruel immigration agenda.”
Public sentiment isn’t on Trump’s side either; a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that 53 percent of Americans disapprove of his immigration policies while only 40 percent approve. The tide is turning, and it looks like Trump’s Guantanamo dream is fading fast.
