Irish citizens living illegally in US could be transferred to Guantanamo Bay, report says
Darragh McDonagh
A number of Irish citizens who are living in the United States illegally could be rounded up and transferred to the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp as early as this week, the Washington Post has reported.
The Trump administration is currently preparing for the transfer of thousands of foreigners to the US military base, which was established to hold terrorism suspects during the ‘War on Terror’ that followed the 9/11 attacks.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the list of foreign nationals under consideration include “hundreds” from friendly European nations, including Ireland, Britain, Germany and France.
US officials familiar with the matter told the newspaper that illegal immigrants’ home governments were unlikely to be informed about the impending transfers to the infamous military facility in Cuba.
Preparations for the transfer of these foreign nations include medical screening services for up to 9,000 people, which will determine whether they are healthy enough to be sent to Guantanamo.
Trump administration officials say the plan is necessary due to a shortage of capacity in domestic detention facilities. By contrast, an official document seen by the Washington Post notes that the military camp is “not at capacity”.
In January, Trump claimed that he would send as many as 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay. A limited number were transferred there in March but were subsequently returned to facilities in Louisiana.
The newspaper said the individuals currently being considered for detention and transfer – including a number of Irish citizens – are in the United States illegally.
Many of the detainees’ home countries have told the US that they are willing to accept their citizens but have not acted fast enough for the Department of Homeland Security, officials told the Washington Post.
US troops at Guantanamo Bay erected a tent city earlier this year in anticipation of a large influx of detained migrants. This did not occur, however, and 195 tents with capacity for more than 3,000 people were taken down.
Neither the White House nor the US Department of Homeland Security commented on the report. An official at the Department of Defense said ongoing missions at the military facility remain unchanged, and added that “we do not comment on any speculative future missions”.
