Firm Running Guantanamo Migrant Jail Accused Over Rights Abuses, 'Inappropriate Use of Force': Report

A report by The Guardian has revealed allegations of human rights abuses and excessive force linked to Akima, the private contractor operating the migrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.

The company, which secured a $163.4 million contract from the Biden administration in August 2024 to run the facility through 2029, has been previously scrutinized for its management of other migrant detention centers within the U.S. including ones in Buffalo, Texas and Miami.

A federal audit of the Miami facility operated by an Akima subsidiary, for example, reported multiple instances of "inappropriate use of force," including an incident where guards pepper-sprayed a detainee in solitary confinement without provocation, The Guardian reports. A separate civil rights complaint alleged that Akima staff retaliated against hunger-striking detainees in a Buffalo facility through physical force and solitary confinement.

The migrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay is distinct from the military prison used for terrorism suspects. Historically used for migrants intercepted at sea, the facility had seen limited use since 2021, with numbers fluctuating between four and 40 detainees at any given time.

However, the role of the detention facility has expanded following a January 29 executive order by President Donald Trump, directing the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to increase its capacity to hold up to 30,000 migrants. The first phase of expansion has already begun, with the installation of tent structures capable of housing 2,000 individuals.

Since the executive order, over 150 migrants previously on U.S. soil have been transferred to Guantánamo, marking a significant shift in policy. Reports indicate that the majority of the detainees are Venezuelan nationals, with the Trump administration linking them to the Tren de Aragua gang. However, CBS News reported last week that "low-risk" migrants with no criminal history have also been transferred.

The secrecy surrounding Guantánamo has further fueled concerns. The Guardian reviewed contract documents that describe detainees being transported within the facility in "black-out vans" with "hand restraints and black-out goggles to obscure their vision." Photographs from the facility show blacked-out transport buses, but no confirmed use of blackout goggles.

Legal rights organizations have also argued that detaining migrants at Guantánamo Bay raises due process issues. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other legal aid groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that detainees are being held "incommunicado, without access to attorneys, family, or the outside world." The lawsuit demands that migrants be granted access to legal representation and communication.

"By hurrying immigrants off to a remote island cut off from lawyers, family, and the rest of the world, the Trump administration is sending its clearest signal yet that the rule of law means nothing to it," said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project.