Guantánamo Bay:
The US President signed an executive order directing the preparation of a large-scale migrant detention centre at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay.
- It forms an inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting southeastern Cuba.
- It is a large and well-sheltered bay; it has a narrow entrance to a harbour and is capable of accommodating large vessels.
- It is served by the ports of Caimanera and Boquerón.
- The strategic importance of the bay close to the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and Panama.
- Guantanamo Bay, widely known as “Gitmo,” has been used to house terrorism suspects since the September 11, 2001, attacks, but it also has a small, separate facility known as the Migrant Operations Centre.
- This centre has historically held migrants intercepted while attempting to enter the US by boat, primarily from Haiti and Cuba.
- The facility occupies only a small part of the base and currently lacks the capacity to house the 30,000 detainees.
