A contingent of American Marines has arrived at the Naval Base of Guantanamo, in Cuba, in the middle of the preparations for the administration of President Donald Trump to use the installation as a migrant detention center, according to official sources.
“American Marines arrived at Guantanamo Bay to support the Department of Defense and National Security in the expansion of the Migration Operations Center, thus promoting the mission of President Trump to protect Americans and ensure our nation”said a statement from the White House.
For its part, during an interview in “Meet The Press” of NBC News on Sunday, the Secretary of National Security, Kristi Noem He said that “due process will be followed, and having facilities in Guantanamo Bay will be an advantage for us.”
Noem’s statements appear in the midst of the expectation that has raised the announcement of the Trump administration to use Guantanamo as a detention center for individuals arrested in their campaign against illegal immigration.
The Executive Order signed by the President Instruct the Department of Defense and the National Security Department to prepare up to 30,000 beds in the installation to house the migrants arrested.
According to Politicalto date, the army has made eight flights to deport migrants, including four to Guatemala, three to Honduras and one to Ecuador. However, this is the first time that migrants would be sent to the base in Cuba, which presents unique legal and logistics challenges.
“Remember that Guantanamo Bay … Clearly, the president has said that there will be the worst of the worst, that we are going to chase those bad actors. Last week I was in New York City. We were going to persecute people who had arrest orders for murders and violations, assaults, buying weapons and drug trafficking, “Noem said in the aforementioned interview, reiterating that at the base located in Cuban territory, migrants considered greater danger.
Tom homanTrump’s border tsar, indicated that The Customs Immigration and Control Service (ICE) will be in charge of the expanded installation in Guantanamoalthough the details are not yet clear. Traditionally, the army has helped in the custody of people housed at the base, but not this escalation.
Guantanamo’s military prison was inaugurated in January 2002 at the American naval base located on the southeast coast of Cuba, a territory that Havana leased under the Platt amendment dating from 1903.
The detention center was enabled after the attacks of September 11, 2001, during the mandate of President George W. Bush, in order to receive prisoners called “enemy combatants”, who were denied many of the rights That a detainee has on American soil.
Democratic leaders Barack Obama and Joe Biden tried to close the installationbut they faced the opposition of Congress, so it is still open.
The Guantanamo base has already been used by the United States to stop migrants intercepted in the seabut in a separate area of that used to house the defendants of terrorism.
A relatively small number of immigrants has been sent to those facilities; According to reports, only 37 were held there from 2020 to 2023, but this figure can increase after Trump’s announcement.
Frequent questions about the use of guantanamo for migrants
Why did Donald Trump’s government decided to use the Guantanamo Naval Base for migrants?
Donald Trump’s administration plans to use the base to house up to 30,000 migrantsseeking to relieve pressure on the detention centers in the US and focusing on those migrants accused of crimes. This measure is part of its illegal immigration control policy.
What reactions has generated the use of Guantanamo for the arrest of migrants in Cuba?
The Cuban government has rejected the measure, describing it as “brutality” and warning about “serious consequences.” Cuba considers the base as an illegally occupied territory and criticizes the US decision to use it to enclose migrants near torture and indefinite detention centers.
What is the capacity of the Guantanamo Naval Base to receive migrants and how will it be managed?
The base has a planned capacity to house up to 30,000 migrants, according to Trump’s executive order. ICE will be in charge of the management of these facilitiesalthough the role of the army in this new scale is not yet completely defined.
How has this decision affected relations between the United States and Cuba?
The decision has increased diplomatic tensions Between both countries. Cuba has reiterated that he considers the base as illegally occupied territory and accuses the US of violating international law and human rights with this measure.
(Tagstotranslate) News from Cuba
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