No plans for Trump administration to imprison Irish people in Guantanamo Bay

On Wednesday, US media reported on Trump administration plans to jail undocumented immigrants, including those from Ireland, in the Cuban prison

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it has engaged with the Trump administration on the matter, after US media reported plans to jail undocumented immigrants in the Cuban prison. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP

The Trump administration does not have plans to imprison Irish people living in America illegally in Guantanamo Bay prison, the Government has said.

The department of foreign affairs has confirmed it has engaged with the Trump administration on the matter, after US media reported plans to jail undocumented immigrants in the Cuban prison.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the department confirmed it is aware of news reports on the matter and said: “From our engagement with EU partners and with US authorities, our understanding is that there are no plans to deport EU citizens to Guantanamo Bay.” 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also dismissed the reports, describing the Washington Post story as “fake news” and “not happening”.

In its story, published on Wednesday morning US time, the paper said the US government were preparing to transfer thousands of illegal immigrants to the Guantanamo Bay military base.

It asserts that foreign nationals from a range of friendly countries, including Ireland, would be sent to the prison, adding that their governments would not be informed of their removal from the US to Guantanamo.

US officials speaking to the paper said the plan itself was needed to free up space at existing detention facilities, amid US president Donald Trump’s moves to expel hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from the US.

The prison itself was established by George W Bush to hold suspected terrorists following the September 11 attacks.