The US Government plans to transfer at least 9,000 migrants to the detention camp, some of whom are believed to be from the UK, as part of Donald Trump’s renewed immigration clampdown
Thousands of undocumented migrants, including Brits, are reportedly on the brink of being detained at Guantanamo Bay as part of President Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown, The Telegraph has disclosed.
A staggering 9,000 migrants, with some hailing from Europe, are poised to be shipped off to the infamous detention camp imminently, US sources claim. This move signals the first significant utilisation of Guantanamo since Trump’s declaration in January that it could accommodate 30,000 individuals.
The Cuban-based Guantanamo Bay, notorious for incarcerating “war on terror” combatants during George W. Bush’s tenure post-9/11, is now seemingly set to temporarily host undocumented migrants before their expulsion.
Politico has laid eyes on documents suggesting a brief detainment period at Guantanamo, which currently houses approximately 500 detainees.
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The White House insists this strategy is designed to alleviate the strain on packed U.S. detention facilities, as it chases an ambitious goal of 3,000 daily immigration arrests. However, detractors argue the true intent is to deter potential migrants through fear, reports the Express.
“The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people,” a State Department official confided to Politico.
Reports suggest nearly 800 Europeans, including Brits and French nationals, are set to be transferred in a contentious move that has set alarm bells ringing among European diplomats who are used to working with the US on the issue of migrant returns.
The ACLU has launched a legal challenge against the policy, claiming those detained will face “dire conditions”, such as vermin infestations, inadequate food supplies, and a lack of clothing changes at the camp.
The ACLU’s legal brief slams the current use of Guantanamo, alleging that it aims “to frighten immigrants, deter future migration, induce self-deportation, and coerce people in detention to give up claims against removal and accept deportation elsewhere”.
On the other hand, the US Justice Department has dismissed these allegations, asserting that Guantanamo is merely being employed as an interim holding facility.
Whilst the State Department acknowledges transferring “illegal aliens” to Guantanamo on a temporary basis, it has remained tight-lipped on whether specific talks were held with Britain regarding the policy.
This affair isn’t a first for Britons at Guantanamo: back in the early 2000s, nine British citizens found themselves detained there. March 2004 saw five returned to their homeland, whilst another nine UK residents, non-citizens, were also incarcerated at the infamous base.
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.