President Donald Trump’s plan to detain upwards of 30,000 undocumented immigrants at the United States Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay is facing legal, financial and organizational challenges, reportedly leaving some Trump administration officials questioning the sustainability of the plan.
The costly elements of flying immigrants to the remote area and then expanding and maintaining Guantánamo in combination with a confusing chain of command to manage the operations has concerned some within the administration, two U.S. defense officials and a congressional office familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Though Trump is determined to make good on his campaign promise to send undocumented immigrants with criminal histories to the U.S. naval base home to the notorious detention facility, officials are reportedly thinking of pivoting to a more scaled-down plan.
That could include holding undocumented immigrants at military bases within the contingent U.S.
The Independent has asked the Department of Defense, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House for comment.
Among the top obstacles in the plan is the financial burden of flying groups of undocumented immigrants from the contingent U.S. to Cuba, housing and feeding them and then flying them back to their respective countries.
Though the exact cost is unknown, Reuters estimated the flights would cost at least $4,675 per migrant. Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimates that a regular charter flight is around $8,577 per flight hour, while a “special high-risk” flight could be between $6,929 to $26,795 per hour.
Keeping undocumented immigrants on the remote naval base is costlier too as all food, water and supplies must be shipped in on a weekly to monthly basis – especially since officials had to expand its holding areas quickly.
The actual operation on Guantánamo is also reportedly discombobulated as well with various federal agencies playing a role in detaining, transporting and then holding undocumented immigrants with no clear organizational chart.
ICE, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for interacting with migrants once they arrive at Guantánamo. However, the agency is historically underfunded and understaffed, which makes it difficult to manage the operation while also carrying out other immigration reforms and deportation plans.
Members of the military were sent to Guantánamo to assist with the operation, including helping set up temporary tents for incoming migrants, according to NBC News. However, immigration detention, which ICE typically oversees, has separate legal standards from criminal detention.
The confusion over which agencies and departments are running the operation is reportedly expected to be ironed out in a memorandum of understanding.
In addition to the logistical challenges, the plan has also landed the White House in federal court.
The ACLU, joined by other nonprofit organizations, has filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration for its Guantánamo plan. One seeks access to immigrants who were transferred to Guantánamo on behalf of legal service providers and the family of detainees. Another seeks to block the Trump administration from transferring 10 individuals to Guantánamo, claiming it violates federal law.
The Trump administration initially said only undocumented immigrants with criminal histories would be sent to Guantánamo, but officials revealed in a court filing that nearly a third of the 178 migrants being held were “lower-threat” – likely having no serious criminal record.
With the Guantánamo immigration detention plan facing more complications, officials may turn to alternate options.
