Related videos:
Several family members in Cuba and Miami reported the transfer of Cuban migrants detained in Louisiana to the Guantanamo naval base, despite their claims that they had signed for voluntary departure to be returned to the island.
In a report from Telemundo 51, family members revealed to the outlet the alarming conditions they are facing at the military base, when they expected to be deported to Cuba.
One of the detainees, Marcos Alejandro Ávila Íñiguez, described the treatment he received upon arrival to his loved ones: he said that they were “pointed at with rifles” and kept chained.
His relatives confirmed that on Monday he managed to communicate with them from the base and that during that call he was still chained.
Telemundo 51 identified him as one of 22 Cubans transferred last Sunday on a charter flight from Louisiana.
The testimony of that family adds to that of relatives of three other Cubans who, according to the report, were also taken to Guantanamo that weekend.
The relatives identified them as Erick Mauri Zamora, Emanuel Valverde Tamayo, and Yesier Abreu Arronde, and they all agreed that they had all signed their voluntary departure to Cuba.
One of the relatives stated that, after signing, they took him to the naval base on December 14.
In the midst of uncertainty, some family members stated that after receiving information that they would be deported, they went to the airport to wait for a flight that never arrived, and described the anguish of spending hours there without any explanation and ending up going home “with that sadness.”
In search of answers, Telemundo 51 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to the report, the DHS responded in a statement that immigrants who enter the United States illegally could be sent to Guantánamo or other detention centers and assured that among the recent transfers, there were individuals with serious criminal records.
However, the families interviewed stated that their relatives do not have a criminal record.
According to the report, a document presented to Congress indicates that the transfer of detainees to Guantanamo has cost the federal government 39 million dollars and that it costs 10,000 dollars per day to keep a person detained there.
Deportations of Cubans to the naval base
The United States has sent Cuban migrants back to the Guantanamo naval base, reactivating a practice laden with symbolism and controversy that had been paused for two months.
The transfer of 22 men from U.S. territory marks the first shipment of Cuban citizens to that facility since January and revives fears, memories, and legal questions.
According to The New York Times, the Cubans arrived this week at the base located in eastern Cuba on a charter flight from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) originating from Louisiana.
With them, Guantánamo resumes functioning as a migration detention center, despite the judicial setbacks, high costs, and harsh criticisms that have surrounded this policy throughout the year.
Filed under: