Donald Trump announces his intention to send up to 30,000 illegal migrants to the military prison at Guantanamo

Usually reserved for prisoners accused of terrorism, Guantanamo Bay could host illegal immigrants. This was announced by Donald Trump on Wednesday, January 29.

Donald Trump said on Wednesday, January 29, that he wanted the American military prison at Guantanamo, normally reserved for detainees accused of terrorism, to prepare to accommodate up to 30,000 undocumented migrants.

“I will sign an executive order today directing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare a center for 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo Bay,” the American president said from the White House, adding that these would be “criminals” in an irregular situation.

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He then enacted the first law passed since his inauguration on January 20, which is an anti-immigration text providing for the automatic detention of people in an irregular situation if they have been convicted or prosecuted for certain crimes and offenses.

A prison originally against those accused of terrorism

The Guantanamo prison was opened in 2002, inside a US military base located on the island of Cuba, as part of the “war on terror” declared by former President George W. Bush after the attacks of September 11, 2001. It has seen hundreds of prisoners, including some members of Al-Qaeda, and has provoked lively debates in the United States, because of its extreme conditions of detention and its use of torture.

Former Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama both vowed to close the prison, but neither did so during their respective terms. Last September, The New York Times obtained government documents showing that the Guantanamo military base has also been used for decades by the United States to incarcerate migrants intercepted at sea.

Extreme conditions

According to the newspaper, the migrants are being held in a separate area of ​​the prison that holds inmates accused of terrorism. Some associations denounce their treatment on site, based on testimonies explaining that migrants are monitored when they call a lawyer, that they are forced to wear blackout glasses during their transport, and that rats are attracted by the deplorable hygiene conditions of the place.

Donald Trump was elected after promising during his campaign to put an end to what he called an “invasion” of the country by illegal immigrants, and he has taken many anti-immigration decisions since his return to power. His administration promises to significantly accelerate the pace of expulsions, while approximately 11 million people in an irregular situation currently live on American soil.