Guantanamo Bay The Unlikely Destination for Deported Migrants

Title Guantanamo Bay The Unlikely Destination for Deported Migrants

The United States military has recently begun deporting migrants from its soil to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sparking controversy and raising eyebrows. The first flight landed on Tuesday evening, marking the beginning of an expected surge in the number of migrants sent to the American naval base.

For decades, Guantanamo Bay was primarily used as a detention center for foreigners associated with the 9/11 attacks. However, US President Donald Trump has eyed the facility as a potential holding center for migrants, stating that it has the capacity to hold up to 30,000 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has experience serving at Guantanamo Bay, has dubbed it a perfect place to house migrants.

Additional troops have arrived at the facility in recent days to help prepare for the influx of new arrivals. However, not everyone is on board with this plan. Amy Fischer, director of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program at Amnesty International USA, has spoken out against the use of Guantanamo Bay as a migrant detention center.

Sending immigrants to Guantanamo is a profoundly cruel, costly move, Fischer said in a statement. It will cut people off from lawyers, family, and support systems, throwing them into a black hole so the US government can continue to violate their human rights out of sight. Shut Gitmo down now and forever!

The use of Guantanamo Bay as a migrant detention center is not without precedent. In recent weeks, the US has flown Indian immigrants back to India and deported Ecuadorian migrants to their home country.

According to US officials, there are approximately 300 service members supporting the holding operations at Guantanamo Bay, with the numbers fluctuating based on the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security. At least 230 of those service members are US Marines from the 6th Marine Regiment, who began deploying last Friday. The influx of military personnel has raised concerns about the facility's ability to accommodate the growing number of migrants.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of Indian immigrants attempting to enter the country along the US-Canada border. In the year ending September 30, the US Border Patrol arrested over 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border, accounting for 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago.

As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear Guantanamo Bay's role in the US migrant deportation process has raised both eyebrows and concerns.

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

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