Dozens of US and international human rights organizations are criticizing the Trump administration’s reported plans to establish a migrant “camp” at the Guantánamo Bay military base for Cubans fleeing a worsening crisis on the island.
According to a letter addressed to members of Congress on Friday, the groups say they are alarmed by the prospect of people escaping a humanitarian emergency being detained at the US base in Cuba. The letter was exclusively shared with the Guardian ahead of its planned submission to senators and House representatives.
The coalition includes 85 organizations, which said it wanted lawmakers to hear its “profound concern” about remarks made last month by a senior Department of Defense commander. The groups described any further migrant detention at Guantánamo Bay as “deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
The warning comes amid concern that the administration could use the base as part of a response to migration from Cuba if the country’s crisis intensifies under pressure from the United States. The organizations argue that such a move would expand the use of a facility already associated with controversial detention practices.
The letter does not appear to be limited to one country or one constituency. It brings together both US-based and international rights groups, signaling broad opposition to the idea of creating a detention site at Guantánamo for people fleeing humanitarian conditions.
At the center of the objection is the fear that migrants and asylum seekers could be held in a military setting rather than in a civilian system designed to protect rights and provide due process. The groups are urging Congress to scrutinize the plan and resist any effort to move forward with a facility of that kind.
The organizations say the issue is especially serious because it involves people leaving a crisis, not arriving for other reasons. In their view, that makes the proposed camp fundamentally incompatible with US obligations and basic standards of human rights.
The letter was written in response to comments from a top Pentagon official last month, which the groups interpreted as signaling preparation for a detention approach if conditions in Cuba deteriorate further. Their message to lawmakers is intended to stop that outcome before it becomes policy.
As drafted, the coalition’s position is direct: any plan to detain fleeing Cubans at Guantánamo Bay should be rejected. The groups are presenting the idea not as a temporary administrative measure, but as one that raises serious legal and ethical concerns.
The debate adds a new layer to the long-running scrutiny of Guantánamo Bay itself, where the use of the base for migrant detention would again draw attention to the United States’ handling of people held there in exceptional circumstances.
For now, the letter is a warning to Congress and a call for immediate pushback. The 85 organizations are seeking to ensure that, if the situation in Cuba worsens, the response does not include a migrant camp at one of the world’s most closely watched military bases.
Source: The Guardian, Apr. 10, 2026.
