International
Guantánamo expresses criticize its use to detain migrants: “It’s a black hole”
The Yemeni Mansoor Adayfi spent 14 years in Guantánamo and ended up released without charges. Along with him, 15 other former inmates criticize that the Donald Trump Administration has expanded the use of the naval base to detain undocumented migrants: “No one deserves to be thrown into a system created to erase them,” they say in an open letter.
“Guantánamo is not just a prison: it is a place where the law is deformed, dignity is stripped of and suffering is hidden behind barbed wires. We live it. We know the metallic noise of the doors, the weight of the shackles and the silence of a world that looked away,” says that letter to which EFE had exclusive access.
The letter is promoted by Adayfi, coordinator of the Guantánamo Project within CAGE International.
Guantánamo, as he adds in an interview with EFE, “is a black hole. It can’t be called a prison or detention center because that means there are certain rights.”
Therefore, in his opinion, we should not focus on the treatment that newcomers may have, but on why they send them there in the first place and stop it: “Guantánamo is one of the greatest human rights violations of the 21st century,” he emphasizes from Serbia.
Its London-based organization says it challenges the “state oppression” inspired by the “War on Terrorism” launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. (11S), where about 3,000 people died.
CAGE International defends the right to due process and in the past has criticized attempts to tarnish its reputation for the cases it leads.
Trump made the decision to expand the use of Guantánamo on January 29 with an executive order to enable 30,000 beds at that naval base in Cuba for undocumented migrants.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) has been operating there for years a detention center managed independently of the prison for suspected jihadism, but until now it had only received a limited number of people intercepted at sea, mostly from Haiti and Cuba.
“This order not only allows injustice, it guarantees it. Detaining migrants in Guantánamo denies them constitutional protections, trapping them in the same legal limbo that we endure. This deliberate ambiguity allows abuse, just as it happened with us. We know firsthand what happens with a system designed to break people,” say the former hostages.
Among them are the Moroccan Ahmed Errachidi, the Algerians Lakhdar Boumediene and Sufyian Barhoumi, the Tunisian Hisham Sliti or the British Tarek Dergoul, Moazzam Begg, all repatriated without charges.
For the signatory group, sending migrants to Guantánamo is not a matter of security.
“It’s about power and control and using the darkness of Guantánamo to hide another injustice,” they add.
Earlier this month, a group of 15 human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), actually asked the Government for access to migrants sent there, denouncing a lack of transparency about their legal situation.
The first prisoners arrived in Guantánamo in 2002, as part of that ‘War on Terrorism’ launched by former Republican President George W. Bush (2001 – 2009) after 11S. Of the nearly 780 that there were, there are 15, of which only two are convicted.
For the ex-prisoners who support the letter, not closing that prison or taking into account its legacy has allowed both injustices to continue and “its expansion.”
Trump promised to send there “the worst illegal criminal immigrants who are a threat to the American people.”
“We refuse to allow others to be swallowed by the same nightmare that we endure. No one deserves to be thrown into a system created to erase them. We will not stop talking or fighting. We will not allow the horrors of Guantánamo to be repeated,” say the former inmates.
His message is clear. Not only do they want the prison to be closed and the executive order revoked, they also warn the Trump Administration that justice will be done. “Someday he will be accountable.”
Central America
U.S. and Regional Allies Back Panama Amid Dispute With China
The United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago issued a joint statement in support of Panama’s sovereignty, arguing that China’s recent actions represent an attempt to politicize maritime trade and undermine the sovereignty of nations in the hemisphere.
“We are closely monitoring China’s selective economic pressure and recent actions affecting vessels flying the Panamanian flag,” the statement released Tuesday said. “Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system and, as such, must remain free from undue external pressure.”
The statement comes amid growing tensions surrounding the Panama Canal and the operation of key ports linked to global trade.
At the end of January, Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the legal framework supporting the 1997 concession that granted Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, the right to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals located on the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the Panama Canal.
The ruling followed mounting pressure from the United States to curb Chinese influence around the strategic waterway, through which roughly 5% of global maritime trade passes.
CK Hutchison, which managed the ports for nearly three decades, rejected the court’s decision and accused Panamanian authorities of illegally confiscating its assets. The company has launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama, seeking more than $2 billion in damages.
Following the court ruling, reports emerged of increased detentions and inspections of Panamanian-flagged vessels in China, actions widely viewed as retaliatory measures.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the joint statement as “completely unfounded and misleading,” accusing the United States of politicizing port operations and warning that Beijing would take steps to protect its interests in Panama.
International
King Charles III Says U.S.-UK Alliance Is “Irreplaceable and Unbreakable”
King Charles III of the United Kingdom reaffirmed the strength of the British-American relationship on Tuesday during a speech before the United States Congress, describing the alliance between the two nations as “irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
The address, delivered at the Capitol, marked the first speech by a British monarch before Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 and comes at a time of political tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn, the bond of kinship and identity between the United States and the United Kingdom is invaluable and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable,” the king said.
While reflecting on the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which will be commemorated this year, Charles III stated that the partnership between the two countries “was born out of disagreement, but is no less strong because of it.”
The monarch emphasized the democratic values shared by both nations and noted that major global changes have occurred whenever the two allies found common ground.
“When we have found that way to agree, great changes have taken place not only for the benefit of our peoples, but for all peoples,” he said.
King Charles also quoted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently described the relationship as “an indispensable alliance.”
Concluding his speech, the monarch described the shared history of the United States and the United Kingdom as “a story of reconciliation, renewal, and an extraordinary partnership.”
He added that Washington and London have forged “one of the most consequential alliances in human history.”
“I pray with all my heart that our alliance continues to defend our shared values, together with our partners in Europe, the Commonwealth, and around the world, and that we ignore calls urging us to become increasingly isolationist,” Charles III stated.
The king ended by urging both nations to “recommit to one another in selfless service to our peoples and to all peoples of the world.”
International
Trump Administration Considers Denying Green Cards Over Political Views
The administration of President Donald Trump is evaluating new immigration guidelines that could deny permanent residency to immigrants based on their political views, according to a report published by The New York Times.
The proposed measures, outlined in internal Department of Homeland Security documents, would instruct immigration officials to take applicants’ public expressions and ideological positions into account when reviewing green card applications.
According to the report, cases involving “possible anti-American and/or antisemitic conduct or ideologies” would need to be referred to higher authorities for additional review.
Even if applicants have not violated any laws, authorities could still reject residency requests if they determine that individuals have “endorsed, promoted, or supported anti-American views.”
Among the factors listed in the guidelines are participation in pro-Palestinian activities, actions considered antisemitic, and the burning of the U.S. flag.
The documents reportedly describe such actions as “heavily negative” factors in immigration evaluations, potentially blocking applicants from obtaining permanent residency and, eventually, U.S. citizenship.
The directives also place particular attention on demonstrations held on university campuses following the 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel.
However, flag burning has previously been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court as a form of protected free speech under the Constitution.
The proposal has sparked criticism from immigrant advocacy organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition.
Its president, Murad Awawdeh, warned that the policies could pose a threat to fundamental rights and freedoms.
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