The United States should immediately halt the transfer of immigrant detainees to the Guant谩namo Bay Naval Base, where they face "abusive and inhumane detention conditions that may amount to ill-treatment," .
The human rights organization's findings are based on interviews with 20 Venezuelan immigrants who were secretly transferred to the base and held for up to 16 days before being deported.
Those interviewed were never informed they would be taken to Guant谩namo, nor were their families notified, said Human Rights Watch investigators. They described being held in unsanitary conditions, denied access to legal information, and isolated in solitary confinement for nearly the entirety of their detention.
鈥淭he US government has taken immigrants to Guant谩namo and subjected them to incommunicado detention in appalling conditions,鈥� said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. 鈥淣o immigrant or asylum seeker who leaves their country in search of protection should be taken to a place like this.鈥�
The report details the psychological and physical toll of the confinement. Some detainees reported attempting suicide out of despair.
One told Human Rights Watch investigators: 鈥淚 was so desperate that I tried to cut my wrists with the edges of plastic water bottles, but they weren鈥檛 sharp enough.鈥�
The majority of those interviewed were held in a high-security unit known as Camp 6, in two-by-three-meter individual cells with concrete beds and a combined sink-toilet.
鈥淭he worst part was the confinement, isolated, not knowing what would happen to us,鈥� a 35-year-old man told Human Rights Watch.
The detainees said they were kept isolated for up to 23 hours a day.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 allowed to talk, so at night we shouted through the cracks in the doors to let each other know we were still alive,鈥� a 30-year-old deportee said.
The report found that many immigrants were detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, accused of belonging to a Venezuelan criminal group based on their tattoos and nationality alone.
One 30-year-old man recounted being accused of gang affiliation during a scheduled asylum appointment. After being shackled and placed on a plane, he was shocked by what he saw upon arrival.
鈥淎fter the plane landed, I saw lots of barbed wire and fences,鈥� he said.
The detainees also reported a lack of basic hygiene and sanitation.
A 38-year-old construction worker described his cell as filthy and smelling of sewage.
鈥淭he water was yellow, parts of the sink were rusty, the ceiling and walls were damp, and there were insects and cobwebs everywhere,鈥� he told Human Rights Watch. 鈥淚t was completely filthy, and I got sick because of it.鈥�
鈥淓veryone in immigration detention should be treated with basic humanity, which includes the right to meaningful human contact,鈥� said Goebertus. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a privilege. It鈥檚 a fundamental right.鈥�
