Guantánamo Bay Migrant Operations Center
Guantánamo Bay · 13 well-documented stories
What stands out here
Conditions that appear in a larger share of this facility's stories than of facility stories in general. Stories run from Jan 2025 to Sep 2026.
- Food or water withheld31% vs 10%
The person went without food or water for an extended period, or was given spoiled or inadequate food.
- Solitary confinement23% vs 4%
Placed in isolation or segregation.
- Shackled or chained23% vs 6%
Shackled, chained, zip-tied for long periods, restrained during transport or medical care, or held in a restraint chair.
share of stories hereacross all facilities
Everything the stories describe here
- Food or water withheld · 4 stories
The person went without food or water for an extended period, or was given spoiled or inadequate food.
- Solitary confinement · 3 stories
Placed in isolation or segregation.
- Shackled or chained · 3 stories
Shackled, chained, zip-tied for long periods, restrained during transport or medical care, or held in a restraint chair.
- Hunger strike · 2 stories
The person or a group refused food in protest.
- Abuse or threats by staff · 2 stories
Beatings, threats, humiliation, slurs, or theft by guards or staff.
- Extreme heat or cold · 2 stories
Held in a freezing or dangerously hot space (hieleras, no heat, no air conditioning in summer).
- No bed, sleep, or basic hygiene · 2 stories
Slept on the floor, no bed or blanket, lights on all night, no shower, no toilet access, or similar.
- Punished for complaining or organizing · 1 story
Isolation, transfer, lost privileges, or threats after the person complained, filed a grievance, spoke to media, organized, or joined a hunger strike.
- Suicide, attempt, or self-harm · 1 story
The person died by suicide, attempted it, or harmed themselves.
- Family not told · 1 story
Relatives were not informed of the arrest, a transfer, a hospitalization, or a death, or learned of it from the press or other detainees.
- Sexual abuse or harassment · 1 story
Sexual assault, abuse, coercion, or harassment by staff or others while in custody.
In their words
““From Miami they say OK we go to Somalia, but first we go to Cuba for refueling then we go to some other countries to Somalia,””
Stories
Adam A.: St. Paul asylum seeker held at Guantánamo, allegedly beaten, deported to SomaliaAdam Mohamed Abdullah, a Somali auto mechanic from St. Paul, was held at Guantánamo Bay and says he was beaten there; his mother died while he was denied a call to her before his deportation.““From Miami they say OK we go to Somalia, but first we go to Cuba for refueling then we go to some other countries to Somalia,”” — Adam AbdullahSt. Paul, MN · Sep 25, 2026 · Documented, MPR News, Truthout +4
About 50 Cubans deported by ICE held at Guantánamo instead of HavanaAbout 50 Cuban nationals who agreed to deportation expecting to land in Havana were instead flown to Guantánamo Naval Base, where they have been held since before Christmas due to transfer restrictions.Guantánamo Naval Base, Cuba · Jan 29, 2026 · CiberCuba, El País, Cuba Headlines +2
Somali asylum seekers told by ICE they'd go home, sent to GuantanamoSeveral Somali asylum seekers, including a truck driver and a mechanic, were told they'd be deported home but flown to Guantánamo Bay instead, where they remain shackled.Aug 28, 2025 · Mother Jones, Down Ballot, HCN Times +2
Father sent to Salvadoran prison, mother deported, daughter in U.S. foster careMaiker Alejandro Espinoza Escalona was held at Guantánamo Bay before being sent to a prison in El Salvador, while his partner was deported to Venezuela without their daughter. Their daughter remains in U.S. foster care after three placements.Mar 28, 2025 · Them, CourtListener, Tal Cual Digital +2
Jhoan B.: 25-year-old Venezuelan held 16 days at Guantanamo, then deported homeJhoan Bastidas, 25, was held 16 days at Guantanamo Bay, shackled with limited sunlight and food, before deportation to Venezuela. He now works at a hot dog stand in Maracaibo.Mar 5, 2025 · CNN, The Columbian, The Canadian Press +1
Mayfreed D.A.: Venezuelan barber says Guantanamo guards beat him, denied lawyers before deportationA Venezuelan barber was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in February 2025, where he says he was beaten, denied attorney and family calls, and attempted suicide twice before being deported to Venezuela.El Paso, TX · Feb 20, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, NPR- Jose Daniel S.: Construction worker held in isolation at Guantanamo before being deportedA 30-year-old Venezuelan construction worker was sent to Guantanamo Bay with his wife nearby, held 15 days in poor conditions, then deported to Honduras after nine months in custody.El Paso, TX · Feb 20, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, La Nación +1
Mayfreed D.A.: Venezuelan man sent to Guantánamo in Trump deportation expansionA 21-year-old Venezuelan man was sent to Guantánamo Bay despite having no criminal record beyond unauthorized entry; his mother disputes the government's account of an altercation used to justify his transfer.Feb 19, 2025 · The Bulwark, Miami Herald, CNN +3- Tarlis B.G.: Trans asylum seeker sent to Guantánamo by ICE, housed with menTarlis Marcone De Barros Gonçalves, a transgender Brazilian asylum seeker, says she was housed with five men and searched by male guards after being flown to Guantánamo Bay, then shackled painfully during a transfer flight.NM · Feb 15, 2025 · Them, Center for Constitutional Rights, Triangle Free Press +2
- Immigrants sent to Guantanamo camp cut off from lawyers and familiesFamilies sued after relatives, including 25-year-old Yoiker David Sequera, were flown from El Paso to a new 30,000-bed detention camp at Guantanamo Bay with no lawyer access or outside contact.El Paso, TX · Feb 12, 2025 · USA Today, USA Today, Associated Press
- Yoiker S.: Asylum-seeking barber held at Guantanamo after turning himself in to Border PatrolYoiker Sequera, a 25-year-old Venezuelan barber who turned himself in to Border Patrol seeking asylum, was sent to Guantanamo Bay after five months in El Paso detention.Presidio, TX · Feb 4, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, Migrant Insider +2
- Migrants flown to Guantanamo denied lawyer access as tent camps expandRoughly 100 immigrant detainees, mostly Venezuelan, have been flown to Guantanamo Bay since February 2025, with at least three having no criminal history beyond unauthorized entry.Feb 4, 2025 · Texas Tribune, BBC, CNN +2
- Jeferson E.: Venezuelan former police officer deported to El Salvador prison despite court orderJeferson Escalona, 19, a former Venezuelan police officer, was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison in late March 2025 despite a judge's order barring such removals, after denying gang ties alleged from hand-gesture photos.Anson, TX · Jan 2025 · Hindustan Times, ABC News
Where people stood at the latest report
Each square is one percent of these stories. Read it with care: people who are still detained or already deported have far less access to reporters and lawyers than people who were released, so this mix reflects who gets covered more than how cases end.
- Deported 46%
- Still detained 38%
- Unknown 15%