{"id":3288,"date":"2026-04-10T21:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3288"},"modified":"2026-04-10T21:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:00:09","slug":"human-rights-organizations-call-on-congress-do-not-send-cubans-fleeing-impacts-of-the-u-s-fuel-blockade-to-guantanamo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3288","title":{"rendered":"Human Rights Organizations Call on Congress: Do Not Send Cubans Fleeing Impacts of the U.S. Fuel Blockade to Guant\u00e1namo"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Eighty-six organizations that work on migrant rights, human rights, and humanitarian aid sent a letter<\/a> to Congress today as the U.S. military threatens to detain Cubans in Guant\u00e1namo should they begin fleeing deteriorating conditions in their country \u2014 conditions caused by the United States\u2019 sanctions and fuel blockade. The authors call on Congress to bring an end to the sanctions, the fuel embargo, and the funding of Guant\u00e1namo so that it is never again used for mass detentions and ultimately closes forever. \u201cGuant\u00e1namo should be a relic of the past,\u201d they write.<\/p>\n

Signers include the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Center for Victims of Torture, the International Refugee Assistance Project, Refugees International, American Friends Service Committee, Defending Rights and Dissent, the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the Latin American Working Group, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Church World Service, among others in response to remarks<\/a> on March 19 by SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan that, in the event of mass migration from Cuba, SOUTHCOM would \u201cset up a camp to deal with migrants\u201d at the US Naval Station at Guant\u00e1namo Bay.<\/p>\n

With the current de facto US oil blockade against Cuba, and the worsening humanitarian crisis on the island, such a mass migration appears increasingly likely. The organizations signing the letter express concern that \u201cGiven the well-documented history of abusive and unlawful detention at Guant\u00e1namo, any proposal to use the base for additional detention is deeply troubling and unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The groups addressed their letter to Congress because \u201cCongress has the power to stop use of the Naval base for any form of detention\u2013and must take steps to prevent funding for detention operations and close Guant\u00e1namo for good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter<\/a> goes on to describe the history of abuse and mistreatment at Guant\u00e1namo\u2019s Migrant Operations Center, particularly during the 1990s when many Haitian refugees were held there following the 1991 CIA-backed coup d\u2019etat against Haiti\u2019s democratically elected government. The letter cites inadequate medical care and poor health and safety conditions as other reasons for concern.<\/p>\n

Experts comment:<\/p>\n

\u201cTime and again, we have seen the U.S. government try to use Guant\u00e1namo as a legal black hole to mistreat migrants, subjecting them to inhumane conditions and interfering with both their right to seek protection in the United States and their right to counsel. IRAP opposes any effort to continue detention at Guant\u00e1namo.\u201d \u2014 Pedro Sepulveda, International Refugee Assistance Project Litigation Fellow<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe continued use of Guant\u00e1namo Bay, which has an extensive history of abuse and torture, is horrific and unconscionable. By disappearing people at Guant\u00e1namo, the administration puts people\u2019s lives at risk, obscures transparency, denies people due process, and subjects them to brutal conditions, at times indefinitely. We demand the permanent closure of Guant\u00e1namo and denounce any continued expansion of the facility and the deadly immigration detention system that is already operating at an unprecedented scope and scale at a cost to American taxpayers.\u201d \u2014 Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ongoing threat of using the U.S. military prison at Guant\u00e1namo Bay to detain migrants would extend one of the most troubling chapters in our nation\u2019s history, in which legal gray zones deny people their basic rights. Guant\u00e1namo still illegally houses detainees. Expanding its use to hold migrants would further entrench a system designed to evade due process and accountability. Proposals to establish a migrant camp at GITMO in response to potential migration from Cuba reflect a dangerous willingness to sidestep the rule of law. Congress must act to block funding for such detention, shut down Guant\u00e1namo once and for all, and address the root causes of migration, including harmful sanctions policies that destabilize entire populations.\u201d \u2014 Robert S. McCaw, Council on American-Islamic Relations Government Affairs Department Director<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Trump administration is worried about Cuban migration, the solution is simple: stop intentionally impoverishing the Cuban people through an embargo and fuel blockade.\u201d \u2014 Michael Galant, Senior Research and Outreach Associate, Center for Economic and Policy Research<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe president has held Guant\u00e1namo detention as a threat over the heads of migrants in the United States and now threatens the same over Cubans who may be forced to flee their homes as a result of his own actions. The United States cannot continue to leverage Guant\u00e1namo\u2019s legacy of torture and inhumane treatment to intimidate people seeking safety.\u201d \u2014 Yumna Rizvi, Center for Victims of Torture Senior Policy Analyst<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eighty-six organizations that work on migrant rights, human rights, and humanitarian aid sent a letter to Congress today as the U.S. military threatens to detain Cubans in Guant\u00e1namo should they begin fleeing deteriorating conditions in their country \u2014 conditions caused by the United States\u2019 sanctions and fuel blockade. The authors call on Congress to bring […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[742],"class_list":["post-3288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ciencia-y-tecnologia","tag-vr-news-net"],"yoast_head":"\nHuman Rights Organizations Call on Congress: Do Not Send Cubans Fleeing Impacts of the U.S. Fuel Blockade to Guant\u00e1namo - VR-NEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3288\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Human Rights Organizations Call on Congress: Do Not Send Cubans Fleeing Impacts of the U.S. Fuel Blockade to Guant\u00e1namo - VR-NEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eighty-six organizations that work on migrant rights, human rights, and humanitarian aid sent a letter to Congress today as the U.S. military threatens to detain Cubans in Guant\u00e1namo should they begin fleeing deteriorating conditions in their country \u2014 conditions caused by the United States\u2019 sanctions and fuel blockade. 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