The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any signals that the United States will deport Dutch citizens to the Guantanamo Bay detention center. It was previously revealed that the US is preparing to transfer thousands of foreigners there.
“Should this arise at any point, the Netherlands will advocate for the direct return of Dutch citizens to the Netherlands,” says a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to news agency ANP.
The Washington Post and POLITICO reported on Wednesday, based on government documents and involved officials, that the US is preparing to transfer thousands of foreigners to the notorious detention center. This would involve people residing illegally in the US, including Dutch citizens.
The Dutch government has not yet received any signals about this. But American media also write that Trump does not intend to inform the home countries of the transfers. The White House itself denies that the country is engaged in such preparations.
Guantanamo Bay is located on an American base in Cuba. Shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the prison was set up for “enemy combatants.” For years, there were human rights violations and torture practices in the detention center, according to, among others, the United Nations and human rights organizations.