Migrants Leave Guantanamo, Israeli Hostages Update, Changes at FEMA

Summary

Up First from NPR - February 21, 2025

NPR's "Up First" delivers the top three stories of the day in a concise, ten-minute format. In this episode, host Steve Inskeep, along with co-hosts Michele Martin and contributors, delve into significant developments involving U.S. migration policies, the ongoing Israeli hostage situation, and substantial changes within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Below is a comprehensive summary of the episode’s key discussions, insights, and conclusions.

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1. U.S. Migrant Policy: Migrants Sent to Guantanamo Bay

Overview: The episode opens with a critical examination of the Trump administration's recent actions involving the detention and removal of migrants to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Initially portrayed as a detention center for "hardened criminals," new court filings have revealed a more complex reality.

Key Points:

• Detention and Removal Process:

  • The U.S. has temporarily housed migrants at Guantanamo Bay before transferring them to Honduras en route to their home country, Venezuela. A total of 177 Venezuelans were removed, with their final destination being Venezuela as of the previous night.

• Demographics and Legal Status:

  • Contrary to initial claims, approximately 30% of the detainees were deemed "low threat illegal aliens," including many individuals identified as queer. Notably, some detainees had no prior criminal records.

• Family Impact and ACLU Lawsuit:

  • Families, such as that of Joanna Roldan, have protested the mistreatment and wrongful accusations against their loved ones. Roldan stated, “[My son] hasn’t committed a crime, he doesn’t deserve to go through all of this just for trying to have a better future” (03:12).
  • The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit highlighting the lack of transparency and communication regarding the migrants' whereabouts and access to legal counsel.

Notable Quotes:

• Joanna Roldan: “My son hasn’t committed a crime, he doesn’t deserve to go through all of this just for trying to have a better future.” (03:12)
• Lead ACLU Attorney: “The removal of all detainees won’t stop the lawsuit unless the Trump administration commits to ceasing transfers to Guantanamo.” (05:43)

Implications:

• Public Relations Strategy:

  • The administration's use of Guantanamo Bay serves as a public relations maneuver to demonstrate a hardline stance on immigration, despite the legal and logistical challenges involved.

• Future Detention Practices:

  • Guantanamo Bay is likely to remain a temporary holding facility for migrants from countries where deportation processes are more complex, signaling potential future use in similar capacities.

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2. Israeli Hostages Update: Confusion and Negotiations Amid Ongoing Conflict

Overview: The episode shifts focus to the tense situation in Israel, where recent developments have added complexity to the already fraught hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Key Points:

• Return of Hostage Bodies:

  • Israeli authorities received four bodies from Hamas, including two young boys and an 83-year-old, but the body of a mother, Shiri Bibas, remains unidentified and was not among the returned remains.

• Forensic Revelations:

  • Forensic testing confirmed the identities of the returned individuals, except for the mother, whose body is believed to have been mistakenly mixed with that of a Palestinian civilian. Hamas has requested the return of the Palestinian remains, acknowledging a potential error.

• Impact on Hostage Negotiations:

  • The missing mother’s body has become a pivotal point in ongoing negotiations, with Israel intending to leverage this in future exchanges to secure the release of more hostages.

• Escalation of Violence:

  • Concurrently, unexplained explosions in Tel Aviv's suburb of Bat Yam, involving buses, have heightened tensions. While no injuries were reported, the explosions led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to authorize increased military incursions in the West Bank, aiming to dismantle militant groups.

Notable Quotes:

• Hadil Al Shalchi (NPR Correspondent):

  • “Hamas acknowledged there could have been an error [with the mother’s body], and they are asking Israel to return the remains of that Palestinian.” (06:20)
  • “Both sides want to get this done, especially now with pressure from the United States.” (07:56)

• Israeli Official:

  • “Israel is inclined to move ahead with Saturday’s prisoner exchange. We do not want to jeopardize the release of the Israeli hostages this weekend.” (07:56)

Implications:

• Negotiation Leverage:

  • The unresolved status of the mother’s body is poised to become a significant bargaining chip in future hostage exchanges, potentially influencing the dynamics of peace talks.

• Security Operations:

  • The recent explosions have prompted a robust military response aimed at neutralizing militant activities, further destabilizing the region and displacing thousands of Palestinians.

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3. Changes at FEMA: Cuts and Shifts in Disaster Management

Overview: The final segment addresses the Trump administration’s recent restructuring of FEMA, highlighting significant staff reductions and a pivot away from proactive disaster preparedness measures.

Key Points:

• Staff Reductions:

  • Over 200 FEMA employees, primarily those on probationary status, have been laid off. Despite FEMA’s large workforce, these cuts are significant given the agency's essential role in disaster response.

• Impact on Disaster Response:

  • The reduction in staff exacerbates existing understaffing issues, hindering FEMA’s ability to effectively respond to natural disasters. Former FEMA Chief of Staff, Michael Cohn, emphasized that the agency was already struggling to meet recruiting goals, and the layoffs further jeopardize disaster response capabilities.

• Shift in Disaster Management Philosophy:

  • The administration has signaled a preference for disaster recovery to be managed at state and local levels, with FEMA’s role being minimized. This includes attempts to distance FEMA from building code recommendations critical for disaster resilience.

• Building Codes Controversy:

  • FEMA has withdrawn its endorsements from construction recommendations aimed at enhancing building resilience against disasters, citing political pressure. Experts involved in the process prefer anonymity due to fears of retribution, indicating internal resistance to the administration’s policy shifts.

Notable Quotes:

• Lauren Sommer (NPR’s Climate Desk):

  • “The agency was already understaffed, and now letting go a whole year's worth of people who have been hired is only going to put the agency in jeopardy.” (10:19)

• Michael Cohn (Former FEMA Chief of Staff):

  • “When disasters happen, it's really all hands on deck at FEMA.” (10:51)

• Lauren Sommer:

  • “These recommendations add about 1 to 2% of construction costs but have saved billions in damage.” (13:06)

Implications:

• Preparedness and Resilience:

  • Cuts to FEMA undermine the United States’ ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, increasing vulnerability to events like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.

• Economic Considerations:

  • While reducing spending on building codes may lower short-term construction costs, the long-term economic fallout from increased disaster damage could be substantial.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Up First" highlights critical and intertwined issues affecting national and international security, humanitarian efforts, and disaster management. From the controversial use of Guantanamo Bay for migrant detention to the precarious state of hostage negotiations in Israel, and significant policy shifts within FEMA, the discussions underscore the complexities and far-reaching implications of current U.S. and global policies. The inclusion of firsthand accounts and expert insights provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of these pressing matters.

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For more in-depth stories and continuous coverage, subscribe to NPR’s "Up First" and support local NPR stations at donate.npr.org.

Transcript

[Michele Martin]

Who is the United States sending to Guantanamo?

[Steve Inskeep]

We have some idea now that the US has sent migrants to that base and back out. Our correspondent tells us what court filings reveal about some migrants removed from this country.

[Michele Martin]

I'm Michele Martin with Steve Inskeep, and this is up first from NPR News. Israeli authorities received four bodies yesterday from Hamas. Israel says they do not know the identity of one of the bodies. They also did not receive the body of a mother who was supposed to be delivered with her children. How might Israel respond?

[Steve Inskeep]

Here in the United States, the Trump administration laid off some FEMA workers and people involved in the Emergency Management Agency tell NPR it's backing off work on building codes to make buildings more resilient. What's changing and why? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

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[Steve Inskeep]

We have a clearer picture this morning of how the Trump administration is using the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

[Michele Martin]

The United States recently sent a group of migrants to the base. Now they've been sent away on the way to their eventual destination, their home country of Venezuela.

[Steve Inskeep]

And we've learned some information about them along the way. So let's go to NPR immigration correspondent Sergio Martinez Beltran. Sergio, good morning.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Good morning, Steve.

[Steve Inskeep]

What do you know about this flight?

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Well, the Trump administration announced yesterday that 177 Venezuelans who had been in Guantanamo Bay for a couple of weeks were removed to Honduras. That's all. But one of the migrants who'd been detained there, Honduras was sort of a layover for them. The Venezuelan government met them later and flew them back home. And the migrants landed in Venezuela last night around 10:00pm local time.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so United States, Guantanamo, Honduras, Venezuela, zigzagging around the Caribbean and surrounding areas. So I want to figure out what we've learned here. What do you know about who these people are or were?

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

So the administration had said, Steve, everyone sent to Guantanamo were hardened criminals, and that many were members of Trend Aragua, the Venezuelan gang. But now we know that's not true. In court documents released because of a lawsuit by the ACLU, the Trump administration admitted that nearly 30% of the detainees were considered queer, quote, low threat illegal aliens. Many of the mothers of the detainees had been pushing back against that narrative. One of them is Joanna Roldan. Her son, Joiner Purroy Rolland, had been accused of being a member of the nindaragua. I know my son has not committed a crime, she says, and he doesn't deserve to go through all of this just for trying to have a better future. And I should say, Steve, NPR didn't find any criminal record for Puroiro lan, and it appears at least a third of the people with him in Guantanamo had not committed crimes.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so I guess some of them were accused of crimes, some of them were not accused of crimes other than entering the United States illegally and they went to Guantanamo. Here's my next question. If they sent people to Guantanamo briefly, only to send them onward to other places, it's a way station. It's a transfer point. What's the point?

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

That's a good question. The administration knows that sending migrants to Guantanamo is very costly and very complicated logistically. But it's clear many of these migrants were used as part of a public relations operation by the White House. Most, if not all of the people they sent to Guantanamo had already been in detention during the Biden administration. So these were not new RSTs. And when they were put on a plane, there were cameras, and those visuals were published across the world. It also tells us that Guantanamo will likely be a temporary detention facility that will be used to house migrants from countries where deportations might be more challenging.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so they're sending a signal either to the US Public or to future migrants about what they want to do to people who come to the United States. Another question now, Sergio. What was the lawsuit that you mentioned earlier.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

Yeah. That lawsuit was filed by the ACLU because for a few weeks, no one knew where these migrants were. The family members had stopped hearing from their loved ones, and they assumed they had been transferred to Guantanamo, but the government never told them. And so the ACLU was alleging that the migrants did not have access to telephones to call attorneys or family members. But despite this new development of removing people from Guantanamo, the ACLU says the lawsuit continues. Last night, I talked with the lead ACLU attorney on this case. He told me the removal of all detainees won't stop the lawsuit unless the Trump administration tells the court they will not transfer anyone else to Guantanamo.

[Steve Inskeep]

Npr, Sergio Martinez Beltran, thanks for your reporting. Really appreciate it.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

You're welcome.

[Steve Inskeep]

In Israel, authorities say a body returned by Hamas, a hostage, is not who the militants claimed it to be.

[Michele Martin]

Among the four bodies handed over yesterday were supposed to be those of two young boys and their mother. But after forensic testing, Israeli officials said the mother's remains were not among the bodies of the returned hostages.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Hadil Al Shalchi has been following events. Hadil, good morning.

[Hadil Al Shalchi]

Good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

I just have to ask, what happened?

[Hadil Al Shalchi]

Yeah. Well, we know that Hamas was supposed to return the bodies of Shiri bibas. She was 32 when she was kidnapped, her two young sons, Ariel, who was 4 at the time, and Kfir, who was just 9 months old. Hamas also said they returned Oded lifshitz, who was 83. And then later in the day, Israeli officials said that forensic testing positively identified the bodies of Lifshitz and the two young boys. But the body that was supposed to be the kid's mother was what they said, quote, an anonymous, unidentified body. The Israeli military, that that body didn't even belong to any known hostage. And then in a statement today, Hamas acknowledged there could have been an error. And the remains thought to be Shira Biba says could have been mixed with the remains of a Palestinian who was staying in the location where the hostages were being kept. Hamas is asking Israel to return the remains of that Palestinian. Now, you have to understand, the Bibas family really became the symbol of Israeli pain after the attacks of October 7th. You know, the plight of the hostages, the, the boys were just so young. So the news as a shock to the country. And then another thing, Hamas has also been saying since the beginning of the war that the Beas family was killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023. But then Israeli officials said that the forensic testing showed that the family was actually killed by Hamas. But didn't say exactly how each of.

[Steve Inskeep]

These hostage returns, whether the people are living or dead, has been horrifying in one way or another and dismaying to people in Israel. So what does all this mean for the next steps? Another hostage exchange in the next phase of the peace talks.

[Hadil Al Shalchi]

Yeah, so that next hostage exchange is supposed to happen tomorrow. And I have to say, you know, like, the whole ceasefire has been so precarious. Just last week there was a chance the deal was going to just fall all apart when Hamas alleged Israel committed violations. Israel denied them. But it also looks like both sides want to get this done, especially now with pressure from the United States. So NPR talked to an Israeli official who's familiar with the matter, but they weren't authorized to speak publicly. And we were told that Israel is actually inclined to move ahead with Saturday's prisoner exchange. They said Israel just doesn't want to jeopardize the release of the Israeli hostages this weekend. But then the official also said Israel is going to take advantage that Shiri Bibas body wasn't returned as a point of negotiation to ask for more hostage releases going forward.

[Steve Inskeep]

Hadil, what is this news of explosions in Tel Aviv and Israel that has come out in the same 24 hour period as the hostage exchange of the bodies returned?

[Hadil Al Shalchi]

That's right. So three buses exploded in a suburb called Bat Yam. It's just south of Tel Aviv. Luckily, no injuries were reported. The police said the buses were empty. They had just finished their routes. They were parked in lots around the city. Israeli police said it found explosives on two other buses which didn't detonate. The bombs were the same type as those that had exploded and bomb squads were able to diffuse them. No group claimed responsibility. But right away Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office ordered the military to step up its incursions in the occupied West Bank. The military has escalated its airstrikes and raids there since the beginning of the ceasefire, especially around the city of Jenin. Thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes because of these attacks. And Israel says the operations are trying to root out militants.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Deal Al Shalchi, thanks for your reporting. Really appreciate it as always.

[Hadil Al Shalchi]

You're welcome, Steve.

[Steve Inskeep]

In this country, President Trump's administration has brought its firings to fema, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the people who help local authorities in disasters.

[Michele Martin]

In addition to the firings, people involved tell NPR that FEMA is cutting back on its work to make homes and buildings safer before a disaster. This is also one of the agencies the president has talked of eliminating.

[Steve Inskeep]

Lauren Sommer with NPR's Climate Desk is covering this story. Lauren, good morning.

[Lauren Sommer]

Good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

How many people were fired?

[Lauren Sommer]

So it's more than 200 employees. That's what the Department of Homeland Security told me. And they oversee fema. These are workers on probationary status, which basically means they were within one year of taking the job. But, you know, I spoke to people that had been at the agency more of a decade, and they were only on probationary status because they accepted a promotion for a new job. You know, one told me the firings were like doing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so 200 firings, but it is an agency with thousands. So how would this affect their response in a disaster?

[Lauren Sommer]

Right. Yeah. So when disasters happen, it's really all hands on deck at fema. They put hundreds of people on the ground to connect disaster victims and, you know, enroll them for financial assistance. You know, that's for things like renting a place to live or rebuilding long term. Those FEMA staff come from every part of FEMA. And I talked to Michael Cohn, who was FEMA's chief of staff under the Biden administration, and he says the agency was already understaffed.

[Michael Cohn]

We've been behind at FEMA as far as our recruiting goals. And now to let go a whole year's worth of people who have been hired is only going to put the agency in jeopardy.

[Lauren Sommer]

Last year, during Hurricane Helene, FEMA had to use employees from other federal agencies to fill the gap because the need was so great from disaster survivors.

[Steve Inskeep]

Although didn't the president suggest that FEMA wasn't necessary when he was talking during the Los Angeles fires?

[Lauren Sommer]

Yeah, he said disaster recovery is better left to the states. And he's actually creating a council that will review and potentially overhaul fema. You know, local and state governments actually already run disaster recovery, and they request that FEMA come in. But aspects of FEMA's work are already changing because, you know, one thing the agency does is help develop building codes. These are the construction standards that help homes survive floods and hurricane winds. FEMA experts had already written recommendations about how to strengthen those codes. They were submitted to the International Code Council, which is an association that updates the codes every three years, and then local and state governments adopt them. But FEMA has asked for its name to be taken off those recommendations. According to people who are involved with that work and spoke with me, they want to remain anonymous over concerns about retribution from the Trump administration. And FEMA did not respond to our questions about why they made this request.

[Steve Inskeep]

This is really interesting reporting you have here. And I want to talk about this. There is a wider debate over building requirements. There are even liberals and progressives as well as conservatives who think we've made it too hard to build stuff and that it's bad for society. But I assume you're talking here about relatively narrow recommendations about how to make your house or your building survive a disaster.

[Lauren Sommer]

Yeah. Yeah. These are recommendations that come out of actual disasters, you know, seeing what hasn't worked. It's things like maybe raising up a house a little bit so floodwaters don't come in. And research really shows they add about 1 to 2% of the construction costs, but they've saved billions of dollars in damage that would have happened otherwise.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Lauren Sommer from our Climate Desk. Thanks so much.

[Lauren Sommer]

Thank you.

[Steve Inskeep]

And that's up first for this Friday, February 21st. I'm Steve Inski.

[Michele Martin]

And I'm Michelle Martin. Join up first on Saturday and then.

[Steve Inskeep]

On Sunday in this same feed. Our Sunday story goes deep. A journalist tries to understand his own father's belief in conspiracies.

[Michael Cohn]

When all these things happen, then you will realize that I'm not as big a crackpot as you think I am and that these are not conspiracy theories. These are reality.

[Steve Inskeep]

Listen to the Sunday story on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Michele Martin]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Eric Westervelt, Dede Schanke, Neela Banerjee, Reena Advani and Janaya Williams. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott and our technical director is Carly Strange. Our executive producer is Kelly Dickens. We hope you'll join us again on Monday.

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