US adding wing to Gitmo to jail Cubans
[As Ned Sublette, who forwarded this, pointed out, “the sprawling =
terrorism detention and interrogation center” was built by KBR; =
wonder who’ll build this?]
Miami Herald - February 16, 2007 http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/16710227.htm
GUANTANAMO BAY The Bush administration will build a new facility to detain migrants =
in Guant=E1namo amid stepped-up preparations for dealing with a post- =
Castro Cuba.
By PABLO BACHELET
WASHINGTON - Concerned about a possible mass exodus of Cubans, the =
Department of Defense plans to spend $18 million to prepare part of =
the U.S. Navy base at Guant=E1namo Bay to shelter interdicted migrants, =
U.S. officials told The Miami Herald.
The new installation is needed because terrorism suspects occupy =
space on the base used in past emergencies to hold large numbers of =
migrants, Bush administration officials directly involved said. They =
note that the facilities are designed to house people from any =
Caribbean nation who attempt to enter illegally — not just Cubans.
But they say privately that Fidel Castro’s illness and temporary hand- =
over of power to his brother Ra=FAl last summer injected a renewed =
sense of urgency into plans to handle a mass exodus. The =
administration quietly requested the funds about a month ago and =
Congress has approved it, The Miami Herald was told.
The officials, who were authorized to speak on the subject but =
requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of Cuban issues, =
say there is no sign a Cuban migration crisis is brewing, but they =
acknowledge predicting one is difficult. The 1980 Mariel boatlift, =
which saw 125,000 Cubans arrive in Florida, began when a group of =
Cubans tried to storm the Peruvian embassy in Havana.
BIGGER PLAN
The $18 million initiative is part of a broader U.S. government =
effort to prepare for the death of Castro. The administration will =
not say how many migrants it believes might flee Cuba or even if any =
will do so, but one expert warned that up to 500,000 may try to leave =
the island after Castro’s death.
Top Bush Cabinet officials have met at least twice since December to =
review Cuba contingency plans. On March 7 and 8, the Department of =
Homeland Security will lead an exercise in South Florida involving =
the Coast Guard and dozens of federal, state and local agencies, =
focused on stopping U.S. boaters from picking up rafters.
The U.S. Navy base, on the eastern tip of Cuba, apparently would be =
used as a shelter of last resort if the volume of Cubans interdicted =
at sea overwhelms the U.S. policy known as “wet foot/dry foot.”
Under that policy, Cubans who make it to U.S. territory are allowed =
to remain. Those intercepted at sea are interviewed aboard Coast =
Guard vessels and most are repatriated to Cuba. A few who have been =
found to credibly risk persecution if returned to Cuba have been =
taken to Guant=E1namo for more interviews while U.S. officials arrange =
for their resettlement in third nations.
U.S. officials refused to say whether the wet foot/dry foot policy =
will be changed in case of an exodus, since such an announcement =
might prompt many Cubans to leave.
For years, migrants captured during surges ended up in tent camps at =
Guant=E1namo on a bluff called Radio Range, on the larger Windward side =
of the base.
1994 MIGRATIONS
At the height of the last migration crisis in 1994, more than 32,000 =
Cubans and 21,000 Haitians overwhelmed the base in tent cities. Most =
of the Cubans were later sent to the United States. Most of the =
Haitians were sent home.
The Pentagon has since built its sprawling terrorism detention and =
interrogation center at the site of the old tent camps, limiting =
shelter space. The plan would put them on the smaller Leeward side, =
which has an airstrip but no docks for large ships.
”The capacity to process migrants at Guant=E1namo is an integral part =
of our overall plans to ensure that any attempted mass migration in =
the Caribbean is not successful,” said one official, who also =
declined to be identified. The official said the new facility is =
“part of prudent contingency planning.”
”The U.S. has established avenues for safe, orderly, legal migration =
from the various countries in the Caribbean,” the official added. =
“Any effort to send people to the United States via unsafe and =
illegal means will not succeed.”
The Pentagon already has solicited construction bids for the new =
facility. The $18 million would pay for things like land leveling, =
sewage and electrical infrastructure, bathrooms, dining facilities =
and administrative offices to process asylum applications. The =
installations will be initially designed to handle about 10,000 =
migrants, officials say, though more can be quickly accommodated if =
needed.
SCENARIOS
Andy Gomez, senior fellow at the University of Miami’s Institute for =
Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, says focus groups and other =
interviews show many young Cubans are eager to leave.
”If the economic conditions do not get better, there is the strong =
possibility that as many as 500,000 Cubans will want to leave the =
island in all directions,” he says. “The other possibility will =
also be a large group of Cubans rushing the U.S. base in Guant=E1namo =
or foreign embassies in Havana.”
Latin American countries may be reluctant to take in numerous =
migrants, he added.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is finalizing plans for an exercise next =
month that will involve scores of vessels.
Rear Adm. David Kunkel, head of the Coast Guard’s South East =
District, is in charge of coordinating interdiction efforts among =
many agencies, including the U.S. Navy and Miami-Dade Police.
”We would be concerned with boaters leaving from South Florida =
marinas to potentially increase the problem,” said Jim Watson, chief =
of staff of the South East District. He said ”deterrent elements” =
would be tested.
Miami Republican Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, who have been =
briefed on preparations, could not be reached for comment.
Miami Herald staff writer Carol Rosenberg contributed to this report