Journalists at Washington Post and Politico say that the Trump administration is set to begin deportations of EU nationals that are present in the US illegally to Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. Roughly 100 Romanian citizens are reportedly among those considered for deportation.
US media cites government officials who anonymously confirmed that at least 9,000 individuals are being processed for the transfer. Politico, which has seen internal documents from the Department of Homeland Security, writes that the plan was developed in recent days and that some changes may occur along the way.
However, in the version reviewed by journalists, there is no provision for notifying the countries whose citizens are to be detained at Guantanamo.
The measure will initially target around 800 Europeans, including 100 Romanians, the US media reported. Those targeted by the measure come from US-allied nations like Romania, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, and Ukraine.
News.ro reported that the Romanian Embassy in the US has requested confirmation from American authorities regarding the accuracy of information published by Politico about the planned transfers to the Cuban facility. Ambassador Andrei Muraru told the Romanian publication that, based on the information received, there are currently 47 Romanian citizens in ICE custody with finalized deportation procedures, and there are no plans to transfer them to Guantanamo.
Dana Bucin, honorary consul of Romania in the US and an immigration attorney, told Euronews Romania that many Romanians are caught in collateral arrests.
“Usually, Romanians mind their own business, they’ve been here for decades, and didn’t have the chance to legalize their status, due to a lack of legal pathways or hiring the wrong lawyer, or not hiring a lawyer at all. Romanians now have families here, they’ve raised American citizens. I’m concerned about their fate, and they are not without legal rights, even if their visa expired long ago,” she said.
The official mentioned that Romanian authorities know of 10 Romanians that came under the radar of the US immigration officers. “I hope they will be sent to Romania. Generally, they are sent to Romania, because there is no issue with Romania accepting them,” she said. However, uncertainty now dominates the deportation system, and new detention centers are being built in El Salvador, Libya, and Sudan.
Guantanamo Bay is a prison in Cuba previously used to detain terrorism suspects following the events of September 11, 2001. The facility became infamous in that time due to harsh tactics that resembled torture. So far, around 500 migrants have been sent to the same prison, where they were held for short periods. Currently, there are 70 migrants at Guantanamo who are undergoing legal proceedings.
In January, Trump announced a plan to use the Guantanamo base to send 30,000 migrants there temporarily, before returning them to their countries of origin. Officially, the reason would be to free up space in US detention centers.
But it is not only those in such facilities that are being targeted, as the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is reportedly looking to make 3,000 arrests per day. The process sparked violent protests in Los Angeles. In response to these protests, president Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to control the protests.
Politico writes that the transfer of migrants to the detention center is expected to begin on Wednesday, June 11, and they will be held there temporarily until they are deported to their countries of origin.
(Photo source: Zarko Prusac | Dreamstime.com)
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