The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to specify whether migrant women, children, or families would be part of the administration's plans to expand the Guantanamo Bay detention center, stating that all available facilities under the law would be utilized.
Last week, a Republican official announced the expansion of a detention facility at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with intentions to house migrants there. When asked on NBC News about including women, children, and families at the center, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem avoided a direct response, stating, "We're going to use the facilities that we have."
Both Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan reiterated in separate Sunday interviews that the focus would be on detaining "the worst of the worst" individuals who are in the U.S. illegally.
Noem stressed that the detainees would not be held indefinitely and that the administration would abide by U.S. law. She mentioned working with Congress on the facility but provided no further details.
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly expressed concern over the expansion of migrant detention at Guantanamo, calling it "very frightening" for many people.
The cost of expanding Guantanamo has not been disclosed. The high-security U.S. prison at Guantanamo was criticized by a United Nations expert in 2023 for violating international law in its treatment of inmates.
While recent Democratic presidents aimed to close the base due to human rights abuses, the current administration led by Trump plans to keep it operational. Additionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gained approval to detain migrants at other military installations, including Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado.