Guantánamo for Europeans? Italy reacts to US deportation plans

The controversial Guantánamo Bay detention centre — which became a symbol of the war on Islamist terrorism following the 11 September attacks — has returned to the spotlight due to a possible decision by the White House to transfer 9,000 migrants to the facility.

According to The Washington Post, among the thousands of deported foreign nationals could be citizens from Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey and Ukraine. The same newspaper also reported growing concern among US diplomats regarding this move by the Trump administration.

In its first official statement, the US State Department — without revealing the nationalities of those detained — appeared to confirm that Guantánamo was being considered as an option: “It is not the final destination”, but in any case, “it is not new for us to transfer illegal immigrants who have committed crimes to Guantánamo before they are returned to their country of origin”, spokesperson Tammi Bruce explained.

However, the White House later denied any plan to send undocumented migrants to the detention centre, dismissing the idea as “fake news”.

The European Commission has opted not to comment on the matter.

Italy

In Italy, given that two Italian nationals were reportedly among those arrested, foreign minister Antonio Tajani acted swiftly and received no negative signals from the US side in the early stages.

Initial reactions came quickly. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani stated that the Italians currently in the United States “should not” be sent to Guantánamo, as Italy had already informed the US administration that it was prepared to repatriate them.

“According to initial information from the Department of Homeland Security, Guantánamo would be used for irregular migrants from countries that do not accept repatriations,” Tajani said, responding to Washington Post revelations.

“Italy has already communicated to the US administration its willingness to take back its nationals who are in an irregular situation, fully respecting their individual rights and providing consular assistance. Therefore, there should be no reason for any Italian citizens to be sent to Guantánamo,” he explained.

In any case, Tajani is scheduled to hold a telephone conversation this Thursday 11 June with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “I’ll try to get further clarification, but that seems to be the current state of affairs.”

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the Pentagon has deployed thousands of troops to the southern border, and the government has already used military aircraft to transfer Venezuelan migrants to the maximum-security facility at Guantánamo.

Controversy reaches Parliament

The controversy surrounding the possible transfer of European migrants to Guantánamo has now reached Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, where several MPs have demanded immediate explanations from Giorgia Meloni’s government and requested Tajani’s appearance before Parliament.

“The Washington Post published a disturbing report: 9,000 migrants in the United States may soon be deported to the Guantánamo base — in reality, a prison. A facility infamously known for detaining criminals and Islamic State (IS) terrorists, and one which has faced serious allegations of human rights abuses,” said Angelo Bonelli from the Green and Left Alliance (AVS).

According to the MP, around 800 of those individuals are European citizens, including Britons, French and Italians. And although Tajani has stated that no Italians will be transferred, The Washington Post cites official US sources and documents suggesting otherwise.

“We are facing an extraordinarily serious situation, one which not only concerns Italian citizens but also raises profound questions about the state of human rights in the United States,” Bonelli added.

Senator Raffaella Paita, from the centrist Italia Viva party, has also called for Tajani to report to Parliament.

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