Source: Satellite image taken on Feb. 4 by Planet Labs
The New York Times
Around 150 tents to house migrant detainees and to support detention operations have been set up at the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, according to satellite images taken over the area on Tuesday and Wednesday. President Trump has ordered his administration to prepare to house as many as 30,000 migrants at the base.
The majority of migrants sent to the area will most likely be housed on the western side of the bay, about seven miles from the prison for terrorism suspects, images and documents analyzed by The New York Times show.
But on Wednesday, the administration said the first 10 migrant detainees to be flown to Guantánamo were being held in the prison complex, shown below in an image from 2021. It was unclear how many others might be detained there in the future.
Source: Satellite image taken in September 2021 by Airbus CNES via Google Earth
The New York Times
On the western side, construction was visible in satellite imagery captured this week around the existing Migrant Operations Center, where the United States has long held migrants picked up at sea. The area could be designed to hold up to 13,000 migrants and 5,000 support personnel during emergencies, according to a budget proposal from 2016 for upgrades at the location.
Source: Satellite image taken on Feb. 4 by Planet Labs
The New York Times
Recent satellite images also captured the speed of the current surge in activity and capacity there. Clearing operations started in the second half of January. On Jan. 30, the Navy ship U.S.S. St. Louis arrived, bringing troops to help get the tent city ready.
The next day, an image showed that more than two dozen green military tents to support detention operations had been erected. By Wednesday, that number had increased to more than 80. At that point, around 70 tents for migrants were also visible.
Source Satellite image taken on Feb. 4 by Planet Labs
The New York Times
The Pentagon shared several images online of tents being set up at the site.
The Times obtained a separate document from 2017 showing design plans for migrant housing expansion at the site with a map and details about capacity and setup. Those plans showed room for about 11,000 migrants.
The tent positions seen on satellite images this week appear to be closely following those design plans. Support infrastructure, labeled on the plans as dining facilities and camp headquarters, could also be seen being prepared on concrete pads that were constructed in 2019.
Plans to expand migrant housing at Guantánamo Bay
The diagram below shows plans that were submitted to the Pentagon in 2017 for a “mass migration complex” in the leeward side of the naval station.
The first new tents to house migrants have been set up in the L1 and L6 areas, as described in the plans, which could house more than 2,000 people if filled to capacity. Clearing and other activities have also been seen in the area marked L5.
Just 37 people were held at the Migrant Operations Center from 2020 to 2023. As of February 2024, four migrants were being held there, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The government has not previously flown migrants from within the United States to the site.
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