Topline
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeks bids from private companies to manage a migrant holding unit at Guantanamo bay, Cuba. This is after over 10,000 Haitian migrants had been forced to camp under a Texas bridge after illegally entering the U.S.
On September 19, 2021, a U.S. Border Patrol agent riding on horseback attempts to prevent a Haitian migrant entering an encampment near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge. (Photo by Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images). AFP via Getty Images
The Key Facts
According to Friday's bid solicitation, the base's migrant holding unit can hold 120 people. It was once home to more than 12,000 Haitian immigrants. According to the solicitation, at least 10% must be fluently bilingual in Spanish and Haitian Creel. This was also required by the bid solicitation. According to the International Nonprofit Global Detention Project, migrants have not been held at Guantanamo bay facility since at most 2017. Forbes reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for clarification.
Surprising Fact
According to Miles Taylor, former Chief of Staff at DHS, the idea of sending migrants into Guantanamo Bay was floated by Donald Trump. However, Department of Homeland Security officials didn't move forward.
Important Background
Since January, the number of illegal migrants entering the U.S. has increased significantly. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection more than 200,000 southwest border crossings occurred in July and August respectively, compared to fewer than 80,000 in January. The administration is under increasing pressure to find a long-term solution for the influx of migrants after the latest border crisis with Haitian migrants from South America. Over 10,000 Haitians have been crowded into a Del Rio processing facility, Texas. They're reportedly there to deal with the unsanitary conditions they experienced after illegally crossing into the United States. Biden's administration responded by saying that "our borders aren't open", sending hundreds of Border Patrol agents to the area, and increasing the speed of deportation flights from Haiti.
Tangent
This recent surge in Haitian migrants is not a new phenomenon. According to statistics from Border Patrol, Haitians were responsible for less than 4% of border arrests in August.
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Biden administration seeks contractor for Gitmo migrant detention center, guards who can speak Creole (NBC News).
Our Borders are Not Open: U.S. Increases Deportations to End Haitian Migrant Crisis
There are thousands of Haitian migrants waiting in Texas. Here's how many tried to enter the U.S. According to Forbes, the last year has been a record-breaking one.
