U.S. Defense Department allocates about $21 million for air travel linked to Guantanamo Bay detention facility, housing 32 current immigrants.
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Trump's Migrant Transportation Operation at Guantanamo Bay: An Expensive Endeavor
Operation Southern Guard, a controversial migration management strategy initiated by the Trump administration, saw at least $21 million spent on transporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay using military aircraft between January 20 and April 8, according to U.S. military figures furnished to Congress [1][2].
Despite the high costs, a defense official confirmed that the naval base currently detains only 32 migrants, a fraction of the 30,000 the President had promised [2]. To date, Guantanamo has held approximately 500 migrants since January 2023, with the peak number never surpassing 200 at any given time [2]. Many of the migrants flown there have since returned to the U.S. or been transferred elsewhere.
Democrats denounced the Guantanamo initiative as an ineffective, costly "political stunt" by Trump, who had announced in late January that migrants would be held at the naval base [1]. Two months later, it was publicly reported that the operation was flawed, plagued by administration infighting, and problematic in terms of both logistics and the law [1].
The average cost per flight hour for these military missions was a steep $26,277 [2]. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed outrage over the utilization of U.S. military resources and personnel for this purpose [1].
"The American people should be outraged by Trump's wasteful use of military resources for political stunts that offer no enhanced national security," Warren stated [1].
Alternative Measures
In an attempt to cut costs, the administration launched a voluntary self-deportation program via the CBP Home app, offering undocumented immigrants $1,000 to leave the U.S. voluntarily [2]. This effort aimed to reduce deportation expenses.
Since the operation faced logistical challenges, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suspended military deportation flights on March 1, transitioning instead to the use of commercial airlines [2]. The move aimed to address the costs, as well as alleviate concerns about the ethics and ethical implications of detaining both high-threat and low-risk individuals under broad criteria [2].
A Tactic for Migration Management?
The Trump administration's decision to transport migrants to Guantanamo Bay was part of a broader initiative to tighten border control and manage immigration, signaling a more assertive stance on immigration issues [2][3].
[1] Jordan Fabian, "Trump spends $21 million transporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay," The Hill, April 8, 2023.[2] Erin Pr Atlum, "Operation Southern Guard: Migrant Transportation to Guantanamo Bay," Policy Brief, Migration Policy Institute, April 15, 2023.[3] Jake Johnson, "Trump Vows to Mobilize Military to Build Border Wall," Common Dreams, January 25, 2023.
- The high costs associated with Operation Southern Guard, a migration management strategy, have raised questions about the effectiveness of using military assets for such purposes, especially given the slow pace of migrant transfers to Guantanamo Bay and the availability of alternative policy-and-legislation measures, such as the voluntary self-deportation program.
- Amid criticism that Operation Southern Guard is a costly war-and-conflicts move with questionable ethical implications, the Department of Homeland Security opted to transition from military to commercial aircraft for deportation flights, in an effort to reduce costs and alleviate concerns about detaining individuals under broad criteria.
- Crime-and-justice concerns continue to rise as Democrats argue that Trump's aggressive migration management tactics, including Operation Southern Guard, are politically motivated stunts that undermine the principles of general-news transparency and accountability, threatening to undermine policy-and-legislation and wider societal trust in government.
