President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed the Protection Division and the Division of Homeland Safety to arrange the naval base at Guantanamo Bay to carry as much as 30,000 immigrants awaiting deportation from the U.S.
ABC Information’ Phil Lipof on Wednesday spoke with Karen Greenberg, director of the Heart on Nationwide Safety at Fordham College College of Legislation, to debate the plan for the army base in Cuba.
On this April 7, 2014, file picture reviewed by the US army and made throughout an escorted go to reveals an indication on the highway to the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mladen Antonov/AFP through Getty Photos, FILE
ABC NEWS: The director of the Heart on Nationwide Safety at Fordham Legislation College, Karen Greenberg. Karen, thanks for being with us. We’re speaking about an American army base on overseas soil. What does that imply for immigrants’ entry to due course of?
KAREN GREENBERG: OK, so first, it is not likely overseas soil in the US’ phrases — it is an outpost of the US. And that is all the time been one of many complicated issues about Guantanamo.
What it’s is a spot the place, repeatedly, the US has sought to position people with out the sorts of protections by regulation that they’ve in the US on the homeland, as we have seen with the detention of struggle on terror detainees. And in addition, you already know, we are able to discuss in regards to the migration heart as effectively, however it’s not right to name it on overseas soil. It’s on a U.S. base positioned in Guantanamo Bay.
ABC NEWS: All proper, so you have been to that facility the place they’d be held at Guantanamo Bay. What challenges will the administration face in making an attempt to implement the plan?
GREENBERG: So one massive problem that they’ll face is mainly the numbers he was throwing round. He threw out 30,000 — I do not know that they’ve the capability for that, however I’ve by no means heard that earlier than. On the peak that I knew about it, within the previous days and the ’90s, I feel they held 21,000 on the most.
They’ve held refugees repeatedly. In present context, President Biden talked about utilizing it for migrants as effectively, however by no means, and we’re utilizing it now for some intercepted asylum seekers and migrants. However that form of capability, that form of quantity, hasn’t been thrown round earlier than.
So I am assuming that may imply they might want to construct up some form of facility, not only for the numbers they’re speaking about by way of migrants, but in addition for the guards, the well being services, and so on., and so on., that we’ll want there.
And simply to make some extent there, they needed to construct Guantanamo detention facility, additionally, you already know, for the struggle on terror detainees. And so they did that very quickly. They did it inside 100 days, and constructed, you already know, state-of-the-art most safety prisons and housing for many who would wish to take care of them. So it may be accomplished rapidly.
ABC NEWS: As you level out, the bottom has been used to carry a lot smaller numbers of immigrants for years. What may a few of their experiences inform us about Guantanamo?
GREENBERG: Effectively, the studies should not good. And I need to say that it isn’t simply the previous studies that aren’t good. It is also, there was a report launched in September by the Worldwide Refugee Help Mission, which kind of detailed the circumstances that migrants are held in at present at Guantanamo, which included unsanitary circumstances, mistreatment, to not point out this kind of fuzzy authorized standing.
So I do not suppose that is projected effectively prior to now, there’s additionally been in these prior occasions, within the ’70s and the ’90s additionally, you already know, allegations of, and paperwork of mistreatment and unsanitary circumstances, and so on.
ABC NEWS: Actually rather a lot to work out shifting ahead. Karen Greenberg, thanks.
