Military medical units, including surgeons and OB-GYN specialists from the U.S. Air Force and Army, are scheduled for deployment to Guantanamo Bay as part of the Trump administration’s plan to expand detention facilities for individuals without legal status in the United States. An order reviewed by NPR, which was issued to service members, indicated a deployment exceeding 180 days to a location that was not disclosed. According to internal communications and sources familiar with the planning, the personnel have been informed that the deployment site is the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo and will last six months.
This order was dispatched to personnel, including those from David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California and a medical unit at Fort Belvoir Army installation in northern Virginia. Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Department of Defense provided immediate responses to inquiries.
To date, more than a dozen planes have transported over 100 individuals to Guantanamo Bay following President Trump’s directive to use the naval base to detain migrants suspected of lacking legal status. Legal action against the administration has been initiated by immigration attorneys over these detentions, citing restricted access to clients. DHS maintains that detainees can use phones to contact their lawyers.
Military medical personnel will be responsible for both detainees and civilians at Guantanamo. Earlier this month, 150 service members were deployed to assist DHS operations on the base. According to administration officials, those taken to Guantanamo are identified as “high-threat illegal aliens.” The administration’s ultimate aim is to accommodate 30,000 migrants temporarily at Guantanamo prior to deportation to other countries.
However, this plan is expected to encounter several challenges, including legal, financial, political, and logistical issues. There has been no congressional funding allocated yet, and new facilities would be required to house such numbers. Rep. John Garamendi of California criticized the recent deployment orders in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing that military medical staff should prioritize the care of U.S. service members and their families. He acknowledged that the detained migrants deserve comprehensive health services but expressed opposition to diverting military resources for this purpose.
