At least 9,000 undocumented migrants, including British citizens, are set to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay in the coming days, according to reports in the United States
Thousands of undocumented migrants, including Brits, are reportedly on the brink of being detained at Guantanamo Bay as part of Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown, according to The Telegraph.
Reports from the United States suggest that at least 9,000 migrants, some hailing from Europe, will be transferred to the infamous detention camp within days. This move marks the first large-scale use of the facility for this purpose since Trump’s announcement in January that it could hold up to 30,000 people.
Guantanamo Bay, situated in Cuba, was previously utilised to incarcerate combatants captured during George W. Bush’s “war on terror” following the 9/11 attacks.
Now, it seems the contentious site is being reactivated to temporarily house undocumented migrants before they are deported back to their home countries.
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Documents viewed by Politico indicate that those transferred are intended to be held for a brief period. At present, Guantanamo houses around 500 individuals, reports the Express.
The White House claims this move is designed to alleviate overcrowding in U.S. detention centres as the administration aims for a daily target of 3,000 immigration-related arrests. However, critics argue the real motive is to deter potential migrants.
“The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people,” one State Department official told Politico.
Reports claim around 800 Europeans are due to be transferred, including British and French nationals, in a move that has sparked concern among European diplomats who typically collaborate closely with the US on migrant repatriations.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is contesting the policy in court, stating that detainees face “dire conditions” within the camp, including rodent infestations, inadequate food, and no regular change of clothes.
In its writ, the ACLU accuses the administration of utilising Guantanamo “to frighten immigrants, deter future migration, induce self-deportation, and coerce people in detention to give up claims against removal and accept deportation elsewhere”.
The US Justice Department has denied the allegations, maintaining that the camp is merely being used as a temporary staging post.
The State Department has confirmed that “illegal aliens” are being sent to Guantanamo “as a temporary measure”, but declined to comment on whether specific governments, including the UK’s, had been consulted about the move.
This is not the first instance of Britons being detained at Guantanamo Bay, as nine UK citizens were held there in the early 2000s, with five returning home in March 2004, while another nine UK residents without citizenship were also detained at the facility. The unexpected decision to use Guantanamo as part of the immigration crackdown is already causing diplomatic tensions and legal challenges, with increasing pressure on the White House to justify this move as more details come to light.
