US Might Use Guantanamo Bay to Process, Repatriate Haitians

DHS is considering using the military base again for these purposes if Haiti’s crisis worsens and more of its citizens continue to flee to the United States.

People walk past a guard tower outside the fencing of Camp 5 at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan. 26, 2017. Thomas Watkins/AFP/Getty Images

The United States is considering using a naval facility at Guantanamo Bay to process and repatriate illegal immigrants coming from Haiti, White House national security spokesman John F. Kirby said during a press call on March 14.

The naval station at Guantanamo Bay has been used in the past for processing and repatriating illegal Haitian immigrants, and it “remains an option” for the future if maritime migration trends continue to worsen, Mr. Kirby said.