SILVER SPRING, Maryland – On Tuesday, the Trump administration began flying migrants from the United States to a holding facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where they will be held prior to deportation.

The Trump administration has stated that this is a move to ensure that "high threat" migrant detainees are held in a secure facility. However, as a Catholic organization CLINIC affirms that all human persons have dignity as God's children and should have their human and legal rights respected.

"Removing migrants from U.S. soil for detention raises a high risk for rights violations, especially in area that is known for human rights abuses," said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC's executive director. "Migrants held in these facilities will very likely have less access to legal representation or due process before deportation. Having spent time on U.S. soil, they deserve access to justice and protection from abuse under U.S. law, regardless of their crimes. In addition, no matter their history, God calls us to still see them as human beings created in his image and worthy of respect."

The administration has stated that the migrant holding facility at Guantánamo is separate from the U.S. military prisons which have been the site of illegal torture and heinous human rights abuses. However, CLINIC believes that holding migrants in an area more obscured from the public view and which has a history of impunity for human rights violations raises red flags.

"We are worried about the precedent this creates — that more and more migrants could be sent to remote holding facilities abroad, leading to more rights violations," said Karen Sullivan, CLINIC's director of advocacy. "We know that even migrants with criminal backgrounds can be safely housed and processed within the existing system on U.S. soil. We urge for policies which safeguard human and legal rights."