Military doctors prepare to deploy to Guantanamo for extended stay

Military medical units, including surgeons and OB-GYN specialists in the U.S. Air Force and Army, are preparing for deployment to Guantanamo Bay this weekend as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand detention there for those without legal status in the U.S.

An order obtained by NPR on Wednesday that was sent to service members showed that they were instructed about a deployment for more than 180 days, to a location that was redacted.

The doctors and others who are getting deployed were told the site would be at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo and would last six months, according to internal communications reviewed by NPR and two sources familiar with the planning who were not authorized to talk publicly.

The order was sent to personnel including from the Travis Air Force Base’s David Grant Medical Center in California, and the medical unit at the Fort Belvoir Army installation in northern Virginia.

The Homeland Security and Defense departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

So far, over a dozen planes have taken more than 100 people to Guantanamo Bay, following an order from President Trump to use the naval base to detain migrants suspected of being in the country without legal status. Immigration lawyers have sued the administration over the detentions there, arguing that the location limits access to their clients. DHS has said those on the base have access to phones to call their lawyers.

The military medical personnel were told they would be taking care of detainees in Guantanamo, as well as of civilians.

Earlier this month, 150 service members were deployed to assist DHS with operations on the base.

So far, Trump administration officials say all the people taken to Guantanamo have been men labeled as “high-threat illegal aliens.” The goal, administration officials have said, is to eventually create space at Guantánamo for 30,000 migrants there, who would be held temporarily before being deported to other countries.

But the plan is likely to face numerous legal, financial, political and logistical hurdles. Congress hasn’t allocated money for the base yet and the administration would have to set up new facilities to make space for that many people.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., decried the recent deployment orders in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent on Wednesday, saying the military’s medical personnel are meant to take care of U.S. service members and their families.

“The migrants detained in Guantanamo Bay undeniably deserve access to comprehensive health services and medical care throughout their detainment,” Garamendi wrote. “However, it is unacceptable that military resources be diverted to fulfill this need.”