Gitmo Now Home to Migrants From 26 Countries

The Trump administration's plan to turn Guantanamo Bay into a full-fledged migrant detention center appears to be taking shape quickly. CBS News reports that more than 70 detainees from 26 countries are now at the facility in Cuba. The initial detainees sent there in February were generally from Spanish-speaking nations in Latin America, but the new list is far more widespread. As seen by CBS, the detainees are from:

• Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Romania, Russia, Somalia, St. Kitts-Nevis, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Of the 72 detainees, 58 are classified as "high-risk"—meaning criminal records—with the rest deemed "low-risk," per CBS. Critics say flying migrants to the naval base at Gitmo is a waste of money and resources, as NPR previously reported. But the Trump administration appears to like the message it sends: "Whether it is CECOT, Alligator Alcatraz, Guantanamo Bay, or another detention facility, these dangerous criminals will not be allowed to terrorize US citizens," said Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin. CECOT is a notorious Salvadoran prison, while Alligator Alcatraz is in Florida.