U.S. holding immigrant detainees from Asia, Africa, Europe at Guantanamo

Most ICE detainees person nary transgression grounds

Most radical detained by ICE person nary transgression record, contempt Trump claims 02:05

The Trump medication precocious transferred migration detainees from countries successful Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean to detention facilities astatine the Guantanamo Bay naval basal successful Cuba, dramatically expanding the nationalities of those held there, interior U.S. authorities records obtained by CBS News show.

As of earlier this week, Guantanamo Bay's migration detainees — who are detained separately from the coercion suspects besides held astatine the U.S. subject basal — included nationals of China, Jamaica, Liberia and the United Kingdom, according to the national documents.

Two U.S. officials said astir of those detained astatine the basal are considered to beryllium "high-risk" detainees, who are defined by migration authorities arsenic individuals with convulsive oregon different superior transgression records, histories of disruptive behaviour oregon alleged pack ties.

The transfers, which had not been antecedently reported, awesome a important enlargement successful the Trump administration's efforts to crook parts of Guantanamo Bay into migration detention facilities to clasp foreigners facing deportation.

Since President Trump ordered his medication to detain "high-priority" foreigners with transgression records astatine the basal earlier this year, the facilities determination person chiefly housed Spanish-speaking Latin American detainees from countries specified arsenic Nicaragua and Venezuela earlier their ceremonial deportation.

But the determination to usage Guantanamo Bay to clasp migration detainees from much far-flung nations successful Africa, Asia and Europe underscores the wide scope of the Trump administration's crackdown connected amerciable immigration.

A defence authoritative told CBS News determination were 54 migration detainees astatine Guantanamo Bay connected Tuesday.

It's unclear wherefore precisely the medication decided to transportation detainees from Asia, Africa and Europe to Guantanamo Bay. But the migration detention strategy successful the U.S. is well over its congressionally funded capacity, arsenic ICE has accrued efforts passim the state to apprehension immigrants successful the U.S. illegally.

In aboriginal June, Politico reported that officials were vetting thousands of detainees from antithetic countries, including European allies, for a imaginable transportation to Guantanamo Bay, a study that the White House denied astatine the time.

Representatives for the Departments of Homeland Security and State did not reply a bid of questions, including connected whether the African, Asian and European detainees are expected to beryllium deported from Guantanamo Bay.

The Trump administration's usage of Guantanamo Bay to further its wide deportation docket has garnered beardown disapproval and ineligible challenges from civilian rights advocates, who reason the authorities does not person the authorization to clasp migration detainees extracurricular of the U.S. The base, which sits connected Cuban land, was arguable earlier it became an migration holding center, owed to the indefinite detention of coercion suspects, immoderate of whom faced torture and abuse.

While apical Trump medication officials similar Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House lawman main of unit Stephen Miller person repeatedly highlighted the detention efforts astatine Guantanamo Bay, they person provided scant nationalist accusation connected operations astatine the basal and who is being sent there.  

Reporting by CBS News and different quality organizations has confirmed that the medication has sent some detainees deemed to beryllium "high-risk" and "low-risk" to Guantanamo Bay, including Venezuelan men whose relatives person denied accusations that they were pack members.

Those classified arsenic "high-risk" person been detained astatine Guantanamo Bay's Camp VI, a portion of the post-9/11 situation that inactive holds astir a twelve coercion suspects, though successful a abstracted conception of the complex. 

The "low-risk" detainees — who by explanation deficiency a superior transgression grounds oregon immoderate grounds astatine all, beyond civilian migration violations — person been housed astatine the Migrant Operations Center, a barrack-like installation connected the basal historically utilized to accommodate asylum-seekers interdicted astatine sea.

CBS News besides revealed successful May an interior authorities memo showing that officials created a wide acceptable of criteria for who could beryllium sent to Guantanamo Bay that did not notation criminality, contempt the president saying that lone individuals who helium called "the worst" would beryllium held astatine the base.

The Department of Defense told Congress successful May that arsenic of April 8 it had spent $21 cardinal flying migration detainees to Guantanamo Bay, oregon much than $26,000 per formation hour.

As of Tuesday, the base's Camp 6 situation and Migrant Operations Center were lodging 41 and 13 detainees, respectively, a defence authoritative said.

The Trump medication has sought to nonstop a connection of deterrence by utilizing oregon proposing arguable detention centers similar Guantanamo Bay to clasp those accused of violating U.S. migration law. 

In March, the medication flew much than 200 Venezuelans it labeled pack members to El Salvador, which imprisoned them astatine CECOT, its infamous maximum-security prison. More recently, the Trump medication has announced it is moving with Florida authorities officials to acceptable up an migration detention halfway successful the wetlands of the Everglades. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump visited the facility, which officials person dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."