Ambassador Soram Confirms FSM Citizen Remains in ICE Detention in Arizona – Not Guantánamo

TOPICS:
This is a photo of La Palma correctional center in Eloy, Arizona from four years ago. There are seven immigration detention facilities in Arizona.

Posted By: Alex Rhowuniong July 25, 2025

Whew! False alarm. But our FSM Ambassador to the United States, Jackson T. Soram, and his office need to keep working with U.S. ICE to continue to monitor our FSM citizens in the U.S. penal system.

In the past week, there was reason to believe that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement had swept up some of our citizens from the Federated States of Micronesia among President Trump’s so-called hard core “criminals” and sent them to Guantánamo in Cuba.  

This month, Chikin Melele reported that the Trump administration has moved 72 immigration detainees all with “final deportation orders” to Guantánamo. And a CBS News report from July 8 confirmed that Marshallese and Micronesian nationals are currently being detained at Guantánamo.

So, Chikin Melele reached out to RMI and FSM leaders for confirmation. Read about more about the Marshallese man awaiting deportation in Guantánamo: From Compact to Guantánamo: Marshallese and Micronesians Caught up in the Expansion of U.S. Immigration Enforcement – Chikin Meļeļe

Three days ago, we heard back from Ambassador Jackson T. Soram and his office in Washington D.C.: 

“As of this evening, ICE has not confirmed to us if any of our FSM citizens are detained in Guantánamo,” Soram said in an email. “We know there was a mix-up earlier the week with one individual presumed to be at GITMO, but after we registered our concerns and urged ICE to work with us, they informed us that the individual was actually detained in Miami, and not GITMO. He has been returned to Arizona where he was originally detained.”  

But, he added, there is still no confirmation from ICE per our original request. And just this afternoon we received that ICE has not yet responded back.

“We are not aware of any of our FSM citizens detained at GITMO at the moment,” he added, “We will continue to work with ICE, so that the most accurate information relating to our citizens who are detained is shared with us.” 

Earlier when trying to reach out to all contact for any information on the matter, Permanent Representative of the FSM’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Jeem S. Lippwe, responded: “The best people that may know or have contacts with the State Dept are my colleagues in DC. That may also have contacts with ICE, and I am sure they are looking into this as this is now a huge issue.”

In Oregon, FSM Counsel General, Dominic R. Maluchmai, said, “Like you, I also was made aware of the news by a government official. And if you don’t mind, I would like to refer you to Ambassador Jackson Soram for details.”

When the news broke last week of the Marshallese citizen who was shipped to Guantánamo, ICE seemed to indicate that there were also FSM citizens being detained there also. And so we went to work. We went on messenger, email, and Facebook. We even listened to and watched various social media hoping to uncover something that might deny or confirm the allegation. And after some time, we finally reached Soram’s office, who commented that they were glad “one of ours is the first to reach out to us”.

Ambassador Soram had been going back and forth with DHS and ICE on the validity of the story. “We await a follow up report from them just to confirm if indeed no FSM detainees are there.” Based on the recent correspondences with ICE, there are no confirmed FSM detainees in GITMO .    

In their engagement with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, they urged DHS and ICE to collaborate with the FSM Embassy on any deportation matters relating to our citizens.  

“Our citizens have legal status in the US, but they can be deported if they commit crimes,” Soram also said. “Guantánamo has a notorious reputation for housing criminals of the worst kind. We want to avoid having any of our citizens sent there.” 

Comparing Guantánamo with, say, Arizona, Soram also went on to say this is much more serious.

“This is very much a high priority for the Embassy and the Government, to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens who are detained because they have committed crimes. We have also engaged the State Department to make sure they are aware of our concerns and to help prevent any FSM citizens from being sent to GITMO.”

According to CBS News, as of July 8, 72 immigration detainees are being held in Guantánamo, 58 with serious criminal records. The CBS report lists convictions for homicide, sexual offenses, child pornography, assault with a weapon, kidnapping, drug smuggling and robbery, an earlier report said. 

So far, nothing yet to confirm the presence of our FSM citizens among these immigration detainees in Guantánamo Bay.