'This story is fake news': White House denies plans to send migrants to Guantanamo
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Getty Imagеs)
The administration of US President Donald Trump is not planning to send thousands of undocumented migrants, including Ukrainians, to the Guantanamo military base. The media reports are inaccurate, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
"This story is Fake News. Not happening," Leavitt said.
What the media reported
Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump was allegedly planning to transfer thousands of undocumented migrants — including some Ukrainians — to the Guantanamo Bay military base.
According to unnamed officials familiar with the matter, the transfers were expected to begin as early as this week. The migrants are said to come from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Türkiye, Ireland, France, and Ukraine. A significant portion of them are reportedly Haitian nationals.
Preparations for the transfers reportedly include medical examinations for around 9,000 individuals to determine whether they are healthy enough to be relocated to Guantanamo. The facility is notorious for having held terrorism suspects and others captured in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Trump administration officials allegedly justified the move by citing overcrowding in domestic detention centers, which they say has resulted from the president's pledge to carry out the largest deportation of undocumented migrants in US history.
