Sen. John Ossoff (D-Ga.) wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses on Friday to lead a group of Democratic senators in Cuba's massive detention of immigrants in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying it poses a threat to civil rights and military preparation.
Lawmakers highlighted previous reports of abuse of detainees in facilities run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and expressed concern over the treatment of immigrants imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
Chris Coons (D-Del.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) also signed the letter.
“We oppose putting US military and DOD civilians in a legal and morally tenuous position to carry out mass immigration detention operations. Our men and women in our uniforms are fighter jets, not immigrant guards,” the group wrote.
“The dramatically expanded use of US military personnel and facilities to support mass detention operations overseas will be diverted from DOD personnel and resources core missions,” the letter added.
According to Ossoff's statement, he led AnAn 18-month bipartisan surveyIn 2022, female detainees in Georgia revealed that they had been “excessive, invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures and procedures by doctors on a DHS contract.”
“Given the widespread and well-documented abuse of detainees in US DHS and DHS contract facilities, there is no confidence that the will or ability of DHS political leadership to carry out such detention work in NS Guantanamo Bay will be carried out humanely,” the senator said.
The group sought specific information on the Department of Defense (DOD) operations in Guantanamo Bay, including costs. How many DOD personnel are diverted to provide security or operational support? And which military forces are involved?
On Monday, another group of five Senate Democrats led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wrote a similar letter to President Trump to challenge the relocation of immigrants to the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
They called the move “unprecedented, illegal, and harmful to American national security, values and interests.”
Last month, Trump signed a memo ordering the DOD and the Department of Homeland Security to prepare 30,000 immigration facilities in Guantanamo Bay, saying it was “used to detain the worst crimes that threaten Americans.”
Guantanamo Bay is home to military prisoners, including several involved in the 9/11 attack. The US military prison is famous for several accusations of torture and abuse during the war on terrorism.
The Biden administration has tried to diminish operations there, but the Trump administration has reversed its policies.
