The Trump administration is planning to dramatically ramp up sending undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay starting this week, with at least 9,000 people being vetted for transfer, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.
That would be an exponential increase from the roughly 500 migrants who have been held for short periods at the base since February and a major step toward realizing a plan President Donald Trump announced in January to use the facility to hold as many as 30,000 migrants.
The transfers to Guantanamo could start as soon as Wednesday, the documents state. The expectation is that the detainees would be at the facility temporarily before being deported to their countries of origin.
The official reason for the transfers is to free up bed space at detention facilities on domestic American soil, but the use of the notorious facility, which has long housed terrorism suspects, would also send another signal aimed at deterring illegal immigration to the United States.
The plans have come together only in the last few days and could still change, the documents say. But the Department of Homeland Security may not notify the countries of the individuals affected in advance, according to the documents.
Spokespeople for DHS and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Author: Dillon B
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