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Housing migrants at Guantanamo Bay costs $100,000 per day per inmate, senator says
Housing migrants at Guantanamo Bay costs as much as $100,000 per inmate, per day, a U.S. senator has claimed, describing the set-up as 'outrageous.'
The astonishing figure may mean that President Donald Trump 's use of the naval base in Cuba costs almost 1,000 times more than housing people in U.S. immigration facilities – which is $165.
The claims were made by Senator Gary Peters of Michigan during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, in which he and other members grilled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Peters, the top Democrat on the committee, decried the use of the facility as a prime example of wasteful government spending, highlighting that the Trump administration's irrational shuttling of prisoners back and forth had also been at U.S. taxpayer expense.
"We're spending $100,000 a day to keep someone at Guantanamo," Peters complained. "We keep them there awhile, then we fly them back to the United States, or we could keep them here for $165 a day. I think that's kind of outrageous."
It comes after the White House requested a huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement as it continues its attempt to further Trump's goal of mass deportations.
Earlier this month the administration asked Congress to boost the Department of Homeland Security budget by nearly $44 billion for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins on October 1.
Noem, who appeared before the committee on Tuesday to defend the budget request, said she did not know the daily cost to house migrants at Guantanamo Bay.
At another point during Tuesday's hearing, Noem stunned members of the committee by appearing not to understand the fundamental American right of habeas corpus – which the White House is threatening to suspend.
Habeas corpus allows people to challenge the legality of their detention, and has been a constitutional right in the United States since 1789.
Noem claimed the opposite, saying that habeas corpus 'is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.'
New Hampshire Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, who had asked Noem to define the concept, responded flatly: 'That is incorrect.'
She added: 'Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people ... [it] separates free societies like American from police states like North Korea.'
Roughly 70 migrants are currently detained at the infamous Cuban facility at Guantanamo Bay, according to a U.S. official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity,
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, established in 2002 at the US Naval Station in Cuba, was created to detain terrorism suspects and "illegal enemy combatants" as part of the post-9/11 "war on terror."
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March to prevent 10 migrants from being transferred to the base. In the suit, ACLU alleged that migrants at Guantanamo had been held in windowless rooms for at least 23 hours per day, subjected to invasive strip searches, and unable to contact family members.
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an hour ago
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US visa ban: Which oda options international students get?
Students around di world dey anxious and in limbo, dem tok, as di Trump administration dey make plans to temporarily stop US student visa appointments. One official memo wey BBC US partner CBS see order a temporary pause in appointments as di state department dey prepare to increase social media vetting of applicants for student and foreign exchange visas. Dis na part of a wide-ranging crackdown by US President Donald Trump on some of America most elite universities, wey e see say dey too liberal. E also don move to ban Harvard university from enrolling international students, accusing di school of not doing enough to fight antisemitism on campus. Harvard don file a lawsuit in response, and judge don stop Trump ban for now. Which students go dey most affected? More dan 1.1 million international students from over 210 countries bin enroll for US colleges for di 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, one organisation wey dey collect data on foreign students. Di highest number of international students wey dey study for US come from India last year, according to Open Doors, with more dan 330,000 students wey enrol. China provide di second highest proportion of students, at approximately 280,000. E dey followed by South Korea, Canada, Taiwan, Vietnam, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Brazil and Nepal. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday say di Trump administration go "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to di Chinese Communist Party or wey dey study in critical fields." As part of di plan, criteria go also dey revised to chook eye more on future visa applicants from China and Hong Kong. E no dey clear how many Chinese students wey dey study in di US go dey affected by dis. China say dem "firmly oppose' di move, and ask US to pursue more constructive relations. Di Trump administration don already move to deport some foreign students, while dem revoke thousands of visas for odas. At di end of March, Rubio say di US don revoke at least 300 foreign students visas as part of President Donald Trump effort to clamp down on pro-Palestinian protesters on university campuses. Rubio bin no tok exactly which kontries dem come from. On Wednesday, Harvard say for one court filing say revoking dia certification to host international students go inflict irreparable harm on di university. For one declaration dem file wit di court motion, Harvard international office director, Maureen Martin, say di move dey cause "significant emotional distress" for students and scholars. She write say students dey skip graduation ceremonies, cancel international travel and in some cases dey look for transfer to oda colleges. Some don also report fears of being forced to return to kontries wia dem dey face active conflict or political persecution, according to di court filing. Di impact on di US go dey serious, na so Professor Emeritus William Brustein - one global strategist for higher international education wey dey affiliated to both West Virginia University and di University of Pittsburgh tok. "Harvard fit get by. I mean, e go dey tough, but wetin I dey worry about na our public universities wey dey rely so much on international students becos of di revenue from tuition and fees." "And di ability for international students to bring different perspective on issues to our campuses, dat na really wia e go get an impact," e tok. What about oda options? Canada, di United Kingdom and Australia also don attract a significant share of foreign students in recent years. But di numbers don drop significantly recently as a result of dramatic changes to immigration laws. Canada don commit to reduce di number of foreign students e dey accept by - for example - significantly increasing di proof-of-funds requirements for overseas students. Dis na part of dia ongoing attempts to limit immigration. Di UK, wey be home to prestigious institutions including Oxford and Cambridge universities, also don dey cap opportunities for international students. Student visa restrictions take effect in January 2024, meaning say postgraduates lose di right to bring dependant family members to di UK and new students dey prevented from switching to a work visa before di end of dia courses. Australia, wey get one of di biggest international student markets in di world, also introduce a limit on di number of overseas applicants e dey accept, as e try to reduce overall immigration to pre-pandemic levels. One consequence of dis fit be say students fit choose to stay home, Prof Brustein, tok, as more and more kontries choose to invest in dia own education systems. But dem fit no need to. Wetin oda kontries dey offer? For many universities, di recent developments in di US na opportunity as dem dey rely on foreign students for a significant portion of dia funding - as those scholars often dey pay higher tuition fees. Di chief executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, say e go "welcome" any students wey "don dey discriminated against by di US policy, wey dey face difficulties studying, or in continuing dia studies in US universities." "Di goment and local tertiary institutions go provide di best assistance and arrangements for those wey choose to continue dia studies in Hong Kong," Lee tok. Oda institutions for Asia, including Sunway University in Malaysia, also don extend dia invitation to foreign students wey for odawise study for US. "We get a partnership with di Arizona State University (ASU) wia we fit work on di transfer of all your credits you don get from Harvard to ASU, or even to any of our own Sun-U degree programmes wey fit also earn you additional British certification from Lancaster University," na so di group CEO Elizabeth Lee write on LinkedIn. In Europe, Germany don become an increasingly popular destination for students wey dey look for alternatives outside of US. Di kontri dey estimated to host more dan 400,000 international scholars for 2025, according to forecasts by di German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). For March last year, e also introduce new measures to allow international students outside of EU to work up to 20 hours a week, from di previous ten wey bin dey permitted. While dem don also increase proof-of-funds requirements for foreign students, di increase no nearly dey as dramatic as di one of Canada and Australia. Prof Brustein say di global marketplace for higher education don change fundamentally in di past 15 years, so now, many options and locations dey for international students to consider. "Many of di universities in Malaysia dey top-notch. I tink Australia still dey viable. In France, money dey allocated to draw top professors wey dey consider to leave di US, so I tink Europe still dey in play. But I go place emphasis on wetin dey go on in East and South-East Asia becos dat na di most dynamic area in di world," Prof Brustein tok. Students fit transfer to anoda branch abroad? Prof Brustein dey expect di 'branch-campus' idea to now become more popular. "I know British universities get a long history of doing dis," e tok. "Di Malaysian universities too get am. And even with wetin dey go on for US, e get examples of, for instance, di Illinois Institute of Technology work for India and dia work for China". For dia website, Harvard list more dan 50 kontries wia dem dey offer study abroad opportunities, including Argentina, England, Korea, Senegal and Brazil. But dem never announce if students go fit transfer dia studies to one of dis locations, if dem uphold Trump ban.
