Federal court blocks Trump admin from sending detained Venezuelan immigrants to Guantánamo Bay
FOX NewsFeb 09
ACLU Sues for Lawyer Access for Migrants at Guantánamo
story
Above: An American flag flies behind barbed wire fencing at the Office of Military Commissions building at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Image copyright: Elise Swain/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday, demanding immediate attorney access for dozens of migrants being held allegedly without communication to lawyers or family members at Guantánamo Bay.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of family members of migrants and immigrant advocacy organizations, argues that the government cannot eliminate constitutional rights by moving detainees offshore. It seeks immediate video, phone, and in-person access to the migrants.
This comes after US Pres. Donald Trump ordered the expansion of Guantánamo Bay's detention facilities and the transfer of migrants from American soil to the Cuban naval base. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin has said that migrants detained at the center are allowed phone access to lawyers.
The Spin
Republican narrative
These illegal immigrants are being granted due process and access to legal counsel. The Trump administration warned these dangerous criminals and gang members, who entered the country illegally, what would happen when he took office. Now they're feeling the brunt of Trump's policies.
Democratic narrative
This unprecedented move to hold migrants incommunicado at Guantánamo represents a flagrant violation of constitutional rights and due process. The administration is effectively disappearing people into a legal black hole, undermining basic human rights and American legal principles.
