US relocates twenty-two Cuban migrants to Guantanamo Bay

(MENAFN) US authorities have relocated 22 Cuban migrants to the naval base at Guantanamo Bay as part of deportation procedures, even after a federal court determined that the administration overstepped its legal authority by detaining migrants at the site, according to reports released Tuesday.

The group of men—believed to be the first Cuban nationals sent to the base since January—arrived on Sunday aboard an air charter operated by immigration authorities from Louisiana, according to accounts from individuals familiar with the transfer.

Reports indicate that immigration authorities have detained roughly 730 men at Guantanamo in recent months, the majority originating from Latin American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela.

Of the newly transferred Cubans, five were designated as “high-threat illegal aliens,” while the others are expected to be housed in dormitory-style accommodations typically used for Caribbean migrants seeking asylum, according to an unnamed defense official cited in reports.

Guantanamo Bay is widely known for its military detention facility, where prisoners have been held for extended periods and, in many cases, subjected to torture following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

In January, President Donald Trump announced plans to use the Guantanamo detention complex as a holding site for undocumented migrants. More recently, however, a federal judge in Washington ruled that the administration lacked the authority to continue detaining migrants at the base.

Civil liberties organizations have raised alarms over the situation, warning of possible human rights abuses at Guantanamo. Advocacy groups have called for immediate access for legal representatives to guarantee due process and greater transparency, according to reports.

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