At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Senator Gary Peters dropped a jaw-dropping figure: it costs $100,000 per day to house each migrant at the Guantanamo Bay naval base.
Peters, top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, grilled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the skyrocketing fee, dwarfing the $165 per day rate in standard immigration detention facilities.
"We're spending $100,000 a day to keep someone at Guantanamo," Peters said. "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."
Lawmakers also questioned why migrants are sent to Cuba and then shuttled back to the U.S. at taxpayers' expense as the White House seeks an extra $44 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2026 to support mass deportations.
Noem admitted she did not know the daily cost of housing migrants at Guantanamo Bay, while DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the plan: "President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe."
An anonymous U.S. official said roughly 70 migrants are currently detained at Guantanamo Bay.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March to block the transfer of 10 migrants, alleging detainees face windowless rooms, invasive strip searches, lack of family contact and have even attempted suicide.
Republican committee chair Rand Paul pressed for fiscal restraint, flagging a $46.5 billion budget plan for a border wall. "I'm not saying no new money is needed," he said. "I think you need more Border Patrol, and you're going to need more money for that, but I think it should be within reason."
This hearing spotlights the tension between tough migration policies, soaring costs and human rights—a debate with implications for U.S. taxpayers and the migrants themselves.
Reference(s):
Senator: Trump's Gitmo migrant detentions cost $100k daily per person
cgtn.com
