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Fact Check: The U.S. opened a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay to hold terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks, and it has been used to hold hundreds of migrants the Trump administration aims to deport since February.

Fact Check: The U.S. opened a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay to hold terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks, and it has been used to hold hundreds of migrants the Trump administration aims to deport since February.

Published June 17, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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VERDICT
Partially True

# Fact Check: "The U.S. opened a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay to hold terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks, and it has been used to hold hund...

Fact Check: "The U.S. opened a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay to hold terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks, and it has been used to hold hundreds of migrants the Trump administration aims to deport since February."

What We Know

The U.S. established a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, primarily to hold suspected terrorists captured during military operations. This facility has been a focal point of controversy due to allegations of human rights abuses and indefinite detention without trial (source-6).

In early 2025, reports emerged that the Trump administration was planning to transfer a significant number of undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay. This plan included the potential transfer of thousands of individuals, with initial estimates suggesting that around 9,000 migrants were being vetted for this purpose (source-1). As of February 2025, it was confirmed that at least 10 migrants with suspected gang affiliations were held in a section of the Guantanamo facility that had previously housed terrorism suspects (source-2).

Analysis

The claim that Guantanamo Bay was opened to hold terrorism suspects after 9/11 is accurate and well-documented. The facility has been used for this purpose since its inception, and it has become synonymous with the U.S. government's controversial counterterrorism policies (source-7).

However, the assertion that it has been used to hold "hundreds of migrants" since February 2025 is more complex. While reports indicate that the Trump administration planned to send migrants to Guantanamo, the actual number of migrants detained there has been much lower than initially projected. As of early February 2025, only a small group of migrants (10 individuals) was confirmed to be held at the facility, with plans for a larger influx that had not yet materialized (source-4).

The reliability of the sources varies; major news outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times provide credible reporting based on official statements and documents. However, the situation is fluid, and the Trump administration's plans were subject to change, which complicates the assessment of how many migrants would ultimately be detained at Guantanamo Bay (source-3).

Conclusion

The claim is Partially True. While it is accurate that the U.S. opened a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay for terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks, the assertion that it has been used to hold "hundreds of migrants" since February 2025 is misleading. The actual number of migrants detained is significantly lower than the claim suggests, with only a small group confirmed to be held there as of early February 2025. The situation remains dynamic, and further developments could alter the current understanding.

Sources

  1. Trump to ramp up transfers to Guantánamo, including ... (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/06/10/trump-guantanamo-deportations/)
  2. U.S. Is Holding Migrants in Cells That Once Held Al Qaeda ... (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/us/politics/migrants-trump-guantanamo-prison.html)
  3. Trump sends first migrant detainees to Guantanamo Bay (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0p1ykxyzjo)
  4. Trump team plans to send thousands of migrants to Guantanamo starting ... (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/10/trump-plans-migrants-guantanamo-bay-00396673)
  5. Flashback: The Little-Known History of Guantanamo Bay (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/trump-migrant-detention-guantanamo-bay-flashback-history/)
  6. Italy vows to stop US from sending its citizens to Guantanamo (https://www.politico.eu/article/italy-antonio-tajani-vow-stop-us-deport-citizen-guantanamo/)
  7. Trump Chickened out of Sending European Migrants to Guantanamo - Esquire (https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a65048412/guantanamo-bay-reopening-trump/)
  8. U.S. claims migrants held at Guantanamo are “worst ... (https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/13/immigration-flights-elpaso-guantanamo/)

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Fact Check: The U.S. opened a detention camp at Guantanamo Bay to hold terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks, and it has been used to hold hundreds of migrants the Trump administration aims to deport since February. | TruthOrFake Blog