Dozens of rights organizations have come together to demand that the United States government stop holding asylum seekers at a detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba. Led by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the Haitian Bridge Alliance, the coalition of 125 organizations sent an open letter to President Joe Biden, calling the conditions at the facility illegal and inhumane. They urged the US government to process asylum seekers encountered at sea in a manner consistent with human rights obligations, instead of exiling them to Guantanamo where they are out of reach of their families, advocates, and the law.
The groups also called on the US government to stop intercepting sea-bound migrants from Haiti and sending them back to dangerous conditions in their country, a fate that hundreds of unaccompanied children have faced. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, emphasized the need to end all forced returns of people to Haiti, whether by air or by sea. The treatment of sea-travelling migrants has drawn increased scrutiny following a report by IRAP, which alleged that asylum seekers in Guantanamo are subjected to inadequate conditions similar to those of a prison, with little transparency or accountability.
Former MOC staff cited in the IRAP report claim that detained migrants are denied private calls and punished for complaining about their treatment. Traumatized children are reportedly deprived of education or professional psychiatric treatment. Despite these allegations, the US State Department denied the report’s conclusions, stating that the Guantanamo facility is “humanitarian” and detainees have access to basic amenities such as the base’s grocery store. Immigration and border security have become paramount issues in the lead-up to the November elections, with both presidential candidates advocating for more border checks and deportations.
Under President Biden’s tenure, immigration rates have risen to record levels, prompting the administration to introduce new asylum restrictions that have led to a decrease in irregular crossings from Mexico. However, migrants attempting to cross into the US by foot face an increasingly dangerous journey, with a significant increase in deaths reported in New Mexico. Smugglers often lead migrants into treacherous terrain in extreme temperatures, contributing to the rise in fatalities. Major Jon Day of New Mexico’s Dona Ana County emphasized that it should not be a death sentence to come to the United States, highlighting the urgency of addressing the humanitarian crisis at the border and protecting the lives of migrants seeking refuge.
