Washington, March 4
A US government operation detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay and deporting them to 26 countries, including India, has already cost more than $78 million, according to a congressional oversight report detailing the Pentagon-backed mission.
The report on Operation Southern Guard said the Department of Defense spent $60.6 million on the operation during fiscal year 2025, while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spent about $17.8 million supporting detention and deportation operations at the US naval base in Cuba.
The mission was launched in early 2025 to support immigration enforcement at the southern US border and expand migrant detention capacity outside the continental United States.
According to the report, 708 undocumented migrants were transferred to Guantanamo Bay since the start of the operation, with 691 later moved to detention facilities in the United States or repatriated to other countries.
The average stay at the facility was 14 days, the report said.
Flights have been central to the operation. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out 28 charter flights bringing migrants to Guantanamo Bay and 54 flights departing the base as part of deportation and transfer operations.
Migrants held at the facility were deported to 26 countries across multiple continents, including India, Egypt, England, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Romania, Sierra Leone and Vietnam.
Countries in Central and South America receiving deportees included Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela.
The report said ICE transported 481 migrants to Guantanamo Bay from US states including Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, while 670 individuals were flown from the base either to destinations abroad or to detention facilities within the United States.
Military flights supporting the operation have been costly. The US Transportation Command conducted 31 flights between July and December 2025, with each mission costing an average of about $708,020.
The operation began after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border in January 2025, directing federal agencies to strengthen enforcement and increase detention capacity.
A presidential memorandum later ordered the Pentagon to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to hold migrants with criminal backgrounds awaiting deportation.
Under the arrangement, the Department of Homeland Security manages detainees, while the Pentagon provides logistical support, including transportation, security, medical assistance and infrastructure.
Several immigrant rights groups have challenged the programme in court, arguing that migrants transferred from the United States should not be detained at Guantanamo Bay once they are removed from US territory.
Guantanamo Bay has historically been used for migrant processing since the early 1990s, when Haitian and Cuban migrants intercepted at sea were held at the facility. It later became widely known as the detention centre for terrorism suspects captured after the September 11 attacks.
- IANS
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