The United States has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to its naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, defying a recent federal court ruling that found the administration exceeded its authority by holding migrants at the facility, according to a report published on Tuesday.
The men arrived on Sunday aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter flight from Louisiana, The New York Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. They are believed to be the first Cuban citizens sent to Guantanamo since January.
ICE has detained roughly 730 men at the base, most from Latin American countries including El Salvador, Guatemala and Venezuela, the report said.
According to a Department of Defense official quoted anonymously by the Times, five of the newly transferred Cubans were labeled “high-threat illegal aliens,” while the remaining detainees are being housed in dormitory-style facilities typically used for Caribbean migrants seeking asylum.
Legal and rights concerns resurface
Guantanamo Bay is best known for its military prison, where detainees captured after the September 11 2001 attacks were held for years, often without charge, and subjected to what rights groups have described as torture and abuse.
US President Donald Trump announced in January plans to expand the use of the detention centre to hold undocumented migrants, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties organisations.
A federal judge in Washington recently ruled that the Trump administration lacked legal authority to detain migrants at Guantanamo, raising questions about the legality of continued transfers.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups have warned that holding migrants at the offshore base risks serious human rights violations and have demanded immediate access for legal counsel to ensure due process and transparency.
