Undocumented Irish in US could be deported to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba
The cruel plans, which were first reported by the Washington Post, declared thousands of foreign nationals could be sent to the US military base in Cuba as early as this week.
These include those from what are considered 'friendly European nations,' such as Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, and Turkey.
The infamous facility came to international prominence after it began housing suspected terrorists along with others rounded up in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks - only a small handful remain.
The harsh conditions inside the facility have been slammed by agencies such as Amnesty International.
It has been described as a 'symbol of torture' where inmates face indefinite detention without charge or trial - specifically set up to get around US law.
Former top New York Immigration lawyer Brian O'Dwyer, who also founded the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, believes the plan could actually happen.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, he said: 'Given this administration, absolutely.
'Most of the people who were originally put in Guantanamo Bay have either been sent back to their own country or some of them have actually died. There are not many of them left.
'It's a very small number. So there's this big facility; they could absolutely put a couple of hundred people in.'
He continued: ''(Before the election) the Irish who were supporting Trump were saying 'he's going to deport the Latinos', we now know that there's no special category for Irish in the Trump administration.
'They're being treated like everybody else and that's very badly.'
Mr O'Dwyer also said the current policy seems to move those detained to facilities located hours away from where they live.
He explained: 'We've known that they've taken people who are ready to be deported and kept them in a number of different places in the United States.
'That's their kind of modus operandi. They take them away from their own home state and their own home support services.
'Somebody from New York City would be taken five hours away to a different detention facility.'
The lawyer, who has since retired, said in all his years working on immigration cases, he has never seen anything like what's currently unfolding in the US.
He continued: 'There have been times when people have cracked down on immigration; I understand that.
'But no one has ever come up with the deliberate cruelty that this administration has on human beings who are here in the United States without papers.
'This is a deliberate act of cruelty to discourage people.'
Mr O'Dwyer said the Trump administration has been heaping pressure on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency known as ICE to ramp up detainees.
He said this has led to law-abiding citizens who were undocumented being picked up instead of dangerous criminals.
Mr O'Dwyer added: 'They are taking people who are basically complying with the law and filing their taxes and going to the immigration courts; they're the low-hanging fruit, and they're easy to pick off.
'Who they're really going after is law-abiding people who are doing their work, and that's the Irish.'
He said undocumented members of the Irish community in New York are 'terrified.'
He added: 'You're asking me all these questions and I wish I could give you the slightest glimmer of hope of anything and I can't.
'I've 50 years of experience in this, and I've never seen anything remotely close to this.
'I'd just ask everybody in the community that doesn't have regular status to keep their heads down, and hopefully, we get through it …we're going to do everything we can to help them.'
According to the Washington Post, the plan, which could change, was devised as anti-immigration hard-liners inside Trump's inner circle pushed for more deportations and arrests of undocumented migrants.
It is understood that preparations include screening for 9,000 people to decide whether they are healthy enough to be sent to the facility.
The Washington Post reports that officials within the Trump administration believe the plan is necessary to free up capacity at domestic detention facilities. These have become overcrowded since he took office earlier this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
31 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: Ireland and the US worked together for peace in the past and can do so again
Many comments were coarse and showed no evidence of their having read the meticulously worded Occupied Territories Bill (OTB). We must do more than respond in kind. Many of us have strong American links. US citizens with Irish ancestry can grasp Ireland's empathy for victims of famine and forced depopulation. Other Americans may not have such insights and might need inspiration from wise and erudite US politicians. Unfortunately, such guidance was often lacking in recent tragedies in Palestine and Israel. By contrast, from 1970 onwards, Democratic and Republican politicians tried to help Ireland during the Troubles. They sought the advice of Irish politicians, including John Hume. These exchanges hastened peace and brought enormous benefits for the island of Ireland. It is beyond time to revive the Ireland-US diplomatic and political exchanges of the John Hume era. Not all Gaza peace negotiations need to be held in Qatar. With Ireland's history, perhaps sharing the nuances of the OTB, Ireland could help bring a lasting accord. It could reciprocate the vital US input of 1998. Philip Powell, Co Dublin Israeli use of antisemitism defence rings hollow as abhorrent war continues The abhorrent and continuing inhumanity to the people of Gaza cannot be described as anything other than genocide. At the time, there was little awareness of the Holocaust, but today, there are ceaseless daily media reports of the killing of innocent people – God's children – by the Israel Defence Forces. Israel, alleging it is the sole democracy in the Middle East, claims criticism of the carnage is antisemitic. The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'semitic' as 'relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family'. Therefore, Israel has no moral claim to the term 'antisemitic'. This is nothing other than an inhumane, immoral attempt to press naive parliamentarians into doing the bidding of those who desire to depopulate Gaza, allowing settlers to take it over. I can only conclude the perpetrators of this genocide do not trust God, as they delude themselves on the seriousness of what believing in God incurs personally. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia We put ourselves at risk of economic shock in cosying up to the once-friendly US Ireland can't afford to dismiss Donald Trump's 30pc tariff threat. I think from an Irish perspective it could be argued by some commentators that this really illuminates how foolish we were in making ourselves a US vassal state and becoming so economically dependent on the whims of one country. It's all fine and dandy when there's a US president who is affectionate towards Ireland. However, when there isn't that same affinity and closeness, and when we are just being treated like any other nation, especially when it comes to US interests, we are vulnerable to shocks, particularly when it comes to pharmaceuticals. Many would suggest that if we were a US vassal state, it has transformed this country. If one were to look at our nearest neighbour, Britain, and compare the standard of living, it could be argued that we are in a different league to the UK and most European countries. However, most young people in Ireland are living with their parents. For many of our citizens, there is a palpable cost-of-living crisis, and it could also be argued that this thriving economy of ours doesn't always translate to a real quality of living. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Cork hurlers did so well this year, I hope they won't be too hard on themselves While I fully understand why Cork's management and players did not want a big homecoming reception, I would also say to them that they have done Cork proud in 2025 by winning the National League and the Munster Championship – no small achievement. Disappointment I can understand, but they did bring a lot of happiness to Cork fans this year, so they should not be too hard on themselves. But of course, full congratulations are due to Liam Cahill and the Tipp boys. Donough O Reilly, Stillorgan, Dublin Cork may have been the experts' choice, but their predictions fell flat on day In the Irish Independent sports section last Saturday ('All-Ireland final jury',) a so-called panel of experts, namely Colm Keys, Michael Verney, John Mullane, Frank Roche, Dermot Crowe, Conor McKeon and Eddie Brennan, all predicted at least a four-point win for Cork in the All-Ireland hurling final. The defence rests. Brendan Daly, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Good to see budget move from cost-of-living action to more capital spending The Summer Economic Statement details what levels of funding will be available for Budget 2026. It is good to see that there will be a move away from the so-called once-off cost-of-living measures towards more capital spending and investment in healthcare, education and social protection. There is going to be investment in infrastructure, and this is good for the future. There is an uncertainty out there and the Government needs to be careful. Each department needs to have a plan, and they all need to be cautious going forward. At least this year's budget will not fall in an election year. There will not be the same lobbying by interest groups. However, there will be a presidential election in November, which will be more of a personality contest than a political one. The economic state of the country should be the most important priority at the moment. We are about to enter choppy waters thanks to Donald Trump. However, we are fortunate that our economic state is in the safe hands of Paschal Donohoe. He and Jack Chambers are a formidable partnership. Thomas Garvey, Claremorris Mayo
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Congress to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell amid political firestorm over Jeffrey Epstein files
Congress will subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned sex trafficker who was a close associate of the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, to testify amid a political firestorm over the Trump administration's decision not to release its remaining Epstein files. Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett introduced a motion to compel Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a Florida prison for crimes related to the Epstein case, to testify before the House oversight committee. The move appears to skirt an announcement early on Tuesday that officials from the Department of Justice are also planning to meet with Maxwell. 'We got to send a message to these dirt bags,' Burchett said in a statement posted on X, referring to the list of clients and other Epstein enablers who are assumed to be included in the remaining Epstein files, the details of which are not publicly known. We've just got to get to the bottom of this thing, folks. It's four years and we don't need to tolerate this stuff any more. Soon after Burchett's announcement, Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, said he was shutting down operations in the chamber early, sending lawmakers home before a five-week summer recess. They were scheduled to leave Washington for their districts on 24 July and be out through the month of August, but will now leave a day earlier. The decision comes as Democrats and a handful of Republicans continue to press for files related to Epstein, sending regular legislative schedules into chaos. 'We're not going to play political games with this,' Johnson said at a news conference. Separately, a New York judge has ordered that the Trump administration must send more documents to support its call to release secret grand jury testimony from the 2021 Maxwell prosecution. T he Epstein issue has plagued the Trump administration. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon Judge Paul Engelmayer said New York federal court would like to 'expeditiously' resolve the Trump administration's request, but that it could not do so due to a number of missing submissions, including 'why disclosure is being sought in the particular case' and 'what specific information is being sought for disclosure', he wrote. Engelmayer said the government must file a memorandum of law no later than 29 July and ordered Maxwell and the victims to file their positions on the proposed disclosure by 5 August. The Epstein issue has plagued the Trump administration as the president's own supporters buck him and clamor for more information, and as details continue to emerge about Trump's personal connections with Epstein, who was a friend of his for many years until they fell out. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a lewd drawing along with a suggestive dialogue between the two men. The Trump administration responded by suing the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. Epstein issues splits Capitol Hill The issue has also riven Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, the Republican-led House of Representatives, led by Trump ally Johnson – who recently undermined the president by calling for the release of all files, only to back down several days later – voted to start its summer holiday early in order to avoid Epstein-related votes planned for Thursday. Burchett said he had introduced the motion directing James Comer, chair of the committee, to authorize and issue a subpoena for Maxwell. Comer was 'down with it', Burchett said. 'I believe he's going to issue the subpoena. He's a stand-up guy.' He also acknowledged that he would receive 'blowback, and folks up here are going to be mad at me, but ultimately and with all sincerity, I'm gonna answer my creator on this issue'. Burchett told Axios that he did not consult Trump before calling on the committee to subpoena Maxwell. He has previously written to Comer urging him to bring Maxwell in to testify. 'She's the last one standing,' he told the publication. 'There's nobody else alive that can tell us anything.' He also said he believes Maxwell could 'tell us the operation, how it went down, who were the supporters of it … Ultimately I'd like to see justice.' Justice department sending US deputy attorney general to meet Maxwell The announcement came hours after the justice department said it was planning to send Todd Blanche, the US deputy attorney general, to Florida to meet with Maxwell. Lawyers for Maxwell said on Tuesday evening in a court filing that they had spoken to Blanche, Reuters reported. Last week, Trump directed the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to ask a court to release all relevant grand jury testimony in Epstein's case. Maxwell attorney David Oscar Markus confirmed on X 'that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully'. On Tuesday morning, Blanche also released a statement, posted by Bondi, saying that he plans to meet with Maxwell 'in the coming days'. Blanche's statement also defended the department's early July release, saying it was 'as accurate today as it was when it was written'. - The Guardian Read More Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over reporting on Epstein ties
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Trump and Japan reach trade deal with tariff rate set at 15%
US president Donald Trump reached a trade deal with Japan that will impose 15 per cent tariffs on US imports from the country, including its auto sector, while creating a $550 billion (€468.74 billion) fund backed by the Japanese to make investments in the United States. The agreement, touted by Mr Trump after securing breakthroughs in a final 75-minute Oval Office meeting Tuesday with Japan's top trade negotiator, spares the key US ally from a threatened 25 per cent tariff set to take effect next week and raises hope for other trade deals over the coming days. 'They had their top people here and we worked on it long and hard, and it's a great deal for everybody,' Mr Trump said at a White House event Tuesday evening. Under the deal, Japanese automobiles and parts would be subjected to the same 15 per cent rate as other of the country's exports, according to a senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to outline the agreement. In return, Japan will accept cars and trucks built to US motor vehicle safety standards, without subjecting them to additional requirements – a potentially major step to selling more American-built vehicles in the country. A centrepiece of the pact with Japan is the $550 billion pledge, which the official said was akin to a sovereign wealth fund under which Mr Trump himself could steer investments inside the US. Final terms of the agreement still need to be enshrined in a formal proclamation. Legal particulars and other details surrounding the $550 billion investment pledge are still being hammered out, the official said. The investment timeline is uncertain, and it is unclear whether Mr Trump could allocate the full sum during his term. The source of the Japanese funding was also not immediately available. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the investment sum would reach as much as $550 billion and would partly come in the form of loan guarantees. Mr Trump played the role of closer after eight rounds of negotiations, pressing for more concessions and securing better terms for the US in that final Oval Office meeting with Japan's chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, the official said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined in the final talks. Mr Trump has a track record of making last-minute demands in talks, including before the US inked its agreement with the UK. Previously, US and Japanese officials were said to be discussing a fund of around $400 billion, with profits equally split. But under the terms hashed out in the Oval Office meeting, Japan agreed to provide $550 billion to invest in projects in the United States that the president deems important, through vehicles returning 90 per cent of the profits to the US. A photo shared by Mr Trump's aide Dan Scavino on social media shows the initial figure was $400 billion, which appears to have been crossed out by Mr Trump and replaced by a handwritten $500 billion, before they settled at $550 billion. Japan has also agreed to buy 100 Boeing Co. aircraft, boost rice purchases by 75 per cent and buy $8 billion in agricultural and other products while hiking defence spending with American firms to $17 billion annually, from $14 billion, the senior official said. The country will also participate in an LNG pipeline project in Alaska, the official said, an apparent reference to a long-stalled $44 billion venture designed to export the state's gas around the globe. Mr Trump told lawmakers at the White House Tuesday evening that Japan is 'forming a joint venture' on a proposed Alaskan LNG project. 'They're all set to make that deal now,' Mr Trump said. 'Japan and the US have been conducting close negotiations with our national interests on the line,' Ishiba said in Tokyo. 'The two nations will continue to work together to create jobs and good products.' Mr Trump also pledged to give Japan a safety clause on forthcoming sectoral tariffs, including levies expected on semiconductors and pharmaceutical drugs – effectively agreeing to not treat the country worse than any other nation when it comes to those goods, the official said. In effect, that means Japan will be guaranteed whatever the lowest global rate is on those tariffs. US negotiators have so far resisted efforts to make exceptions and carveouts for sectoral tariffs, though the UK deal included a plan for limited relief from levies on steel. Shares in Japanese carmakers jumped in Tokyo on reports the auto sector rate would be lowered from 25 per cent to 15 per cent for Japan, with Toyota Motor Corp. rising more than 11 per cent. Mr Trump has repeatedly zeroed in on auto trade as he criticises trade imbalances with the country. Around 80 per cent of Japan's trade surplus with the US is in cars and auto parts. The yen fluctuated in early Tokyo trading, before strengthening again after the report from public broadcaster NHK on the auto tariffs. Japanese stocks on the Topix benchmark index rose, led by automakers, and US equity futures edged higher. – Bloomberg
