The first military flights carrying immigrants bound for Guantanamo Bay began departing on Tuesday afternoon. This move is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to expand detention capacity significantly. The White House announced that 30,000 people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody would be held at the base in Cuba.
However, as CNN reports, “they would be pushing the boundaries of where immigration and nationality law applies,” said a former homeland security official. “It is unclear what will happen to those who have moved out of the country only to be held in detention elsewhere.” Under U.S. immigration law, federal immigration authorities use tented facilities to detain migrants along the southern U.S. border, however, these facilities are used for temporary periods and must meet certain standards.
Now, however, several former homeland security officials have expressed concern about the rapid establishment of the facilities at Guantanamo Bay as it is not specified how long people will be detained.
According to the former homeland security official, “it is still unclear how long migrants can be legally detained there and there is no clarity on their rights while in detention. It is also unclear whether migrants will have access to legal or social services while detained at the base.”
According to immigration consultants, the management of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for migrants would be overseen by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Border czar Tom Homan, had said in this regard a few days ago, “We’re just going to expand the existing migrant centers,” adding that the facility would be overseen by “our migrant center run by Miami.”
