U.S. Senator Gary Peters raised serious concerns during a hearing on Tuesday about how much it costs to hold migrants at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. According to Peters, the cost is $100,000 per day for each person, a lot more than the $165 a day it costs to keep someone in regular U.S. immigration centers.

“We're spending $100,000 a day to keep someone at Guantanamo,” said Peters. “We keep them there awhile, then we fly them back to the United States, or we could keep them here for $165 a day. I think that's kind of outrageous.”

Peters, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also asked why the U.S. government sends migrants to Guantanamo in the first place, only to later bring them back to the United States. This back-and-forth travel costs a lot and is paid for by taxpayers.

The U.S. government is asking for $44 billion more for immigration enforcement in 2026. This is part of a bigger plan to support President Donald Trump’s goal of increasing deportations. That money would go to the Department of Homeland Security and be used for more immigration officers, new detention centers, and stronger border control.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who spoke at the hearing, said she didn’t know the exact cost of keeping migrants at Guantanamo Bay. She did say, though, that the government is doing its best to protect the country’s borders.

Peters called the whole situation a clear example of the government wasting money. He said using a place like Guantanamo Bay, which is far away and very expensive, makes no sense when there are cheaper and easier options in the U.S.

He ended by saying the spending should be reviewed carefully to make sure taxpayer money is used wisely.

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