US Homeland Security Secretary says migrants detained in Guantanamo Bay will receive due process News
Digital scan of postcard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (1948)
US Homeland Security Secretary says migrants detained in Guantanamo Bay will receive due process

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stated in an interview Sunday with NBC News that the federal government will follow due process for all migrants transferred to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The comment followed a question by NBC’s “Meet the Press” host, Kristen Welker, about whether migrants will have due process rights and access to attorneys as they would in the US. Noem stated, “Due process will be followed.” She said that the facilities located at the naval base had a long history of housing “illegal immigrants,” and had the capacity to handle these issues.

Welker also expressed concerns that officials could hold migrants at the facility indefinitely. As of January, 15 detainees from the War on Terror remain in detention, some for over 20 years. Noem stated that indefinite detention was “not the plan.” She elaborated that DHS was working with Congress to develop immigration laws to lay out deportation processes and timelines.

When asked if officials would eventually hold “women, children, and families” at the base, Noem stated that Guantanamo Bay was for the “worst of the worst.” Furthermore, she noted that the federal government may utilize other facilities for non-dangerous migrants.

President Trump signed an executive order last week authorizing the Guantanamo Bay Migrant Operations Center to reach full capacity. Trump stated in a briefing that the detention facility contains “30,000 beds,” and will “double” US holding capacity.

Reaction from Cuban officials to the plan was harsh. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel described the US plan on X as an “act of brutality,” and stated that the detention facility was known for “torture and illegal detention.”