A flight carrying migrants arrived at Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday evening as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration.
Departing from El Paso, Texas, a C-17 plane transported a small group of migrants to the high-security facility. According to US Transportation Command, the deportation flight landed at 7:20 pm ET, ABC News reported.
The 10 persons onboard were reportedly suspected members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Contrary to holding existing detainees, these migrants will be under the primary guard of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, not co-located with other detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
President Trump’s executive order from January 29 directed the expansion of the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to accommodate migrants without legal status in the US, emphasising the availability of space for such purposes.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighted Guantanamo Bay’s capacity to house up to 30,000 migrants awaiting processing for return to their home countries. He emphasised the use of the base’s high-security prison for the deportation of serious offenders, labeling it suitable for “the worst of the worst” criminals, accoridng to ABC News.
Currently, approximately 300 service members are supporting the immigrant holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, with additional Marines expected to join. The Defence Department confirmed their role in expanding the Migrant Operations Center to facilitate the temporary housing of migrants separate from the high-security prison. Overall, the administration aims to use Guantanamo Bay as a temporary facility for processing and holding migrants, particularly those deemed serious offenders, pending their return to their home countries or other interim measures.
