FEBRUARY 2, 2025 – Marines assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, have arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to prepare to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
Also, friends and family members said farewell to 111 soldiers of the New York National Guard’s 206th Military Police Company, Jan. 25, 2025, as they prepared to deploy to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The soldiers will be helping to secure the migrant operations center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
Army Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, and other guard leaders attended the ceremony held at Shaker High School in Latham, N.Y.
Company Executive Officer Army 1st Lt. Olano Gayle said the ceremony allowed guard leaders to assure the families that they and their soldiers were being well taken care of.
“Deployments are never easy, and for some, this may be your first time away from your loved ones, but remember, you’re not alone. You carry with you the support and love of your families, friends, leadership and this entire community,” said Army Brig. Gen. Isabel Rivera Smith, commander of the 53rd Troop Command.
The soldiers will conduct three weeks of additional training at Fort Bliss, Texas, before heading to Guantanamo Bay.
“These soldiers have spent countless hours training, preparing and building the skills required for this mission,” Gayle said. “In the coming months, they will lean on those skills, as well as [rely] on their courage, determination and resilience.”
Shields spoke to the soldiers and recognized some with challenge coins for their work in getting ready for the deployment.
During the company’s pre-mobilization training, Gayle thanked the families for being understanding about the additional time away from home.
Gayle thanked the families for being understanding about the additional time away from home needed for the company’s pre-mobilization training.
“Your unwavering support, love and sacrifice make it possible for our soldiers to serve with confidence and focus,” he said.
The Trump administration previously stated: I hereby direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States, and to address attendant immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
This memorandum is issued in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.