Migrants Held at Guantanamo Transferred to US – Reports
US Immigration Officials Move Migrants Back to the US After Detention at Guantanamo Bay
All migrants previously detained at Guantanamo Bay have reportedly been transferred back to the United States, just weeks after the first group was sent to the US military base in Cuba, according to US media sources.
Reports indicate that the remaining migrants were relocated to an immigration facility in Louisiana. This follows a similar move in February when another group was transferred after only a few weeks in detention at Guantanamo.
Shortly after taking office in January, President Donald Trump ordered an expansion of the existing migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay, planning for it to accommodate up to 30,000 people. However, only a few hundred migrants have been sent there so far.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not provided a reason for the decision to return this latest group to the US and declined to comment when approached by the BBC. The transfer comes just days before a federal judge is set to hear a legal challenge against the government's use of Guantanamo Bay for migrant detention. The lawsuit, filed by a coalition of human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), questions the legality of sending migrants to the military base.
According to US media, 40 migrants were flown from Guantanamo to Alexandria, Louisiana, on Tuesday and Wednesday, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates a processing center.
The Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center has been used by both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades, though its use has been widely criticized by human rights advocates. Additionally, Guantanamo Bay is home to a separate high-security military prison previously used to hold individuals suspected of terrorism offenses.
As of March 10, The Washington Post reported that 23 migrants remained in the military detention facility, while 17 others were held in the Migrant Operations Center, citing a Pentagon official. Last week, a defense official confirmed to the BBC that the US military had last received a request from DHS on March 1 to transport undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay. The official stated that the military remains ready to assist with further transfers if requested.
The expansion of the Guantanamo migrant detention facility is part of a broader strategy to reform the US immigration system, including mass deportations. At a signing ceremony early in his term, President Trump emphasized that the facility would primarily be used to detain undocumented migrants classified as dangerous criminals or national security risks.
"Some of them are so bad we don't even trust the countries to hold them, because we don't want them coming back," Trump stated. "So we're going to send them to Guantanamo... it's a tough place to get out."
Tom Homan, the administration’s "border tsar," recently defended the use of the facility, stating on March 4 that it was "the perfect place for the worst of the worst" and that expansion plans were still in progress.
Court documents reveal that around 300 migrants from 27 different countries have passed through the Guantanamo facility. Two separate lawsuits are currently challenging the detention of migrants there. One lawsuit, filed by legal aid organizations, seeks to grant detainees access to attorneys, including in-person visits. Another directly contests the legality of transferring migrants from US detention centers to Guantanamo Bay.
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