President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed the Protection Division and the Division of Homeland Safety to organize 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 Middle on Nationwide Safety at Fordham College College of Regulation, to debate the plan for the army base in Cuba.
On this April 7, 2014, file photograph reviewed by the US army and made throughout an escorted go to exhibits an indication on the street to the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mladen Antonov/AFP through Getty Photos, FILE
ABC NEWS: The director of the Middle on Nationwide Safety at Fordham Regulation College, Karen Greenberg. Karen, thanks for being with us. We’re speaking about an American army base on international soil. What does that imply for immigrants’ entry to due course of?
KAREN GREENBERG: OK, so first, it is probably not international soil in the USA’ phrases — it is an outpost of the USA. And that is at all times been one of many complicated issues about Guantanamo.
What it’s is a spot the place, repeatedly, the USA has sought to put people with out the sorts of protections by regulation that they’ve in the USA on the homeland, as we have seen with the detention of conflict on terror detainees. And likewise, you recognize, we are able to speak concerning the migration heart as properly, however it isn’t right to name it on international soil. It’s on a U.S. base positioned in Guantanamo Bay.
ABC NEWS: All proper, so you’ve got 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 large problem that they are going to face is principally 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 believe they held 21,000 on the most.
They’ve held refugees repeatedly. In present context, President Biden talked about utilizing it for migrants as properly, however by no means, and we’re utilizing it now for some intercepted asylum seekers and migrants. However that type of capability, that type of quantity, hasn’t been thrown round earlier than.
So I am assuming that can imply they might want to construct up some type of facility, not only for the numbers they’re speaking about when it comes to 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 a degree there, they needed to construct Guantanamo detention facility, additionally, you recognize, for the conflict on terror detainees. They usually did that very quickly. They did it inside 100 days, and constructed, you recognize, state-of-the-art most safety prisons and housing for individuals who would wish to take care of them. So it may be carried out 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: Nicely, the studies will not be 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 Venture, 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 assume that is projected properly up to now, there’s additionally been in these prior instances, within the ’70s and the ’90s additionally, you recognize, allegations of, and paperwork of mistreatment and unsanitary circumstances, and so on.
ABC NEWS: Definitely rather a lot to work out shifting ahead. Karen Greenberg, thanks.