Guantanamo Bay: Inside World’s Most Expensive Prison Where Trump Will Jail Illegal Immigrants
- The Guantanamo Bay Prison was opened in 2002 during the regime of former Republican president George Bush
- The detention centre has housed over 780 detainees since it was launched, costing US taxpayers a whopping $7 billion (KSh 906.5 billion)
- The offshore facility consists of seven incarceration camps, each labelled with the sequence in which they were constructed
TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting and offers profound insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.
US president Donald Trump declared in January that he intended to turn the US prison centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into a holding centre for unauthorised immigrants.
Source: Getty Images
Why was Trump's executive order?
The announcement coincided with the signing of the Laken Riley Act, the Republican president's first significant piece of legislation.
Trump promised to launch a "mass deportation" operation against the over 11 million undocumented Americans as part of his campaign for a second term.
"I am issuing an executive order today to direct the Departments of Homeland Security and Defence to start preparing the 30,000-person Guantanamo Bay migrant prison. The majority of people are unaware of it," the Republican leader announced, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The Laken Riley Act gives power to the Department of Homeland Security to hold non-citizens who are arrested or charged with burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting while they are in the US illegally.
When was Guantanamo Bay opened?
When the facility first opened in 2002, it housed suspects involved in the US's alleged "war on terror."
Many of the detainees were kept there for years without trial.
With fewer captives confined within its walls, the facility celebrated its 23rd anniversary this year.
Only 15 inmates remained at the jail after former president Joe Biden's government moved inmates to other nations.
Previously, former president Barack Obama had planned to close the jail.
However, in 2018, during his first term, Trump issued an executive order to maintain Guantanamo Bay's operations for the foreseeable future.
Source: UGC
What is the cost of maintaining Guantanamo Bay?
According to Human Rights Watch, the US spends more than $540 million (KSh 70 billion) per year to detain fewer than 40 prisoners at Guantanamo.
However, it is estimated that the actual cost is higher since it includes classified costs.
The New York Times reported that the prison has housed over 780 detainees since it was opened, costing US taxpayers a whopping $7 billion (KSh 906.5 billion).
Why was Guantanamo Bay opened and what are its features?
The offshore jail was set up during George W. Bush's administration with the intention of housing alleged al-Qaeda militants who were apprehended during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
The US has controlled the 116 square kilometres (45 square miles) Guantanamo Bay Naval Base since the end of the 19th century. It is situated on the eastern tip of Cuba.
Cuba has demanded for decades that the US return the land it forcibly seized in 1898.
It consists of seven incarceration camps, each labelled with the sequence in which they were constructed.
There has never been a successful escape from the prison due to the strong level of security, which includes perimeter patrols, razor wire, and guards.
Sharks are also known to inhabit the nearby waterways, which discourages further escape attempts.
Afghanistan (219), Saudi Arabia (134), Yemen (115), Pakistan (72) and Algeria (23) are the nations that have had the most inmates, according to the Guantanamo Docket tracker.
What to know about Trump's immigration policy
- Trump intends to deport millions of individuals as part of his America-first policy.
- Under Trump's immigration policy, Rwanda revealed that it is in negotiations with the US about a possible agreement to take in deported migrants.
- Trump signed an executive order to seize assets and withhold salaries of illegal immigrants.
What was Trump's offer to illegal immigrants?
Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that the US encouraged all unauthorised immigrants to use the CBP home app to self-deport.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, since January, the Trump administration has deported 152,000 individuals.
DHS declared that unauthorised immigrants in the US who voluntarily return to their home countries will get $1,000 (KSh 129,500).
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
