U.S. Begins Transporting Migrant Criminals to Guantanamo Bay
The U.S. has begun flights to Guantanamo Bay for migrant criminals. A federal court has blocked the transfer of three Venezuelan immigrants, citing legal concerns and pending lawsuits.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the U.S. has commenced flights transporting migrant criminals to Guantanamo Bay on February 4, 2025.
A federal court issued a temporary restraining order on Sunday, preventing the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. This was part of the president's initiative to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S.
The lawyers for the three men argued in a legal filing that the detainees "fit the profile" prioritized by the administration for Guantanamo detention, specifically Venezuelan men from the El Paso area with alleged connections to the Tren de Aragua gang.
In the legal application, the lawyers sought a temporary restraining order from a U.S. District Court in New Mexico, citing concerns about uncertain legal processes and access to counsel, which warranted the injunction.
Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales granted the temporary restraining order, as confirmed by attorney Jessica Vosburgh, who represents the detainees. "It's short term. This will get revisited and further fleshed out in the weeks to come," Vosburgh stated.
The filing is part of a lawsuit on behalf of the three men, supported by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, and the Las Americas Immigrant Advisory Center.
Recently, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Press Secretary Leavitt indicated that flights carrying detained illegal immigrants had already been sent to Guantanamo.
Immigrant rights organizations expressed their concerns in a letter demanding access to detainees held at the U.S. naval station, asserting that the base should not function as a "legal black hole." Guantanamo has faced global criticism for past inhumane treatment and torture of detainees.
The immigrant detainees are held in a section of Guantanamo that was established post-9/11, distinct from the 15 existing detainees, some of whom were involved in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Trump has pledged to expand the detention camp to accommodate up to 30,000 "criminal illegal aliens." Leavitt noted that over 8,000 immigrants have been arrested since January 20 as part of Trump's immigration enforcement strategy, although many have since been released back into the U.S.
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