Washington — The United States’ efforts to deport migrants have continued with the arrival of more detainees at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The arrival was closely monitored by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is currently visiting the U.S. naval base to receive briefings on the military’s support for the deportation efforts.
Hegseth, who shared updates on his visit on social media, expressed his pride in partnering with U.S. agencies to remove those who have violated the country’s territorial sovereignty. According to two U.S. defense officials, a C-130 carrying nine migrants from Fort Bliss, Texas, landed at Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday afternoon. These nine individuals are considered “high threat illegal aliens” and have been taken to the detention center under guard.
A third official revealed that another flight carrying more migrants is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. These developments come after 17 detainees were sent from Fort Bliss to Guantanamo Bay on Sunday. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have not yet responded to inquiries regarding the identities, countries of origin, and charges of the detainees.
This is the second flight from the mainland U.S. to the naval base in Cuba since ICE deported 177 detainees last Thursday. Out of the 177, over 120 were deemed dangerous criminals, including members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. The remaining 50 individuals were held at the base’s migrant operations center, which is designed to house nonviolent individuals.
Hegseth shared his visit to the base on his social media account, where he toured both the detention center and the migrant operations center. In one post, he wrote, “These warriors are directly supporting the apprehension and deportation of dangerous illegal aliens. We cannot thank them or their families enough.” The Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, Kingsley Wilson, also posted about the visit on her account, sharing a video of the facilities designed to hold “low-priority and medium-priority illegal aliens” before their deportation.
During a congressional hearing earlier this month, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees operations at Guantanamo Bay, stated that the base’s migrant facility has the capacity to hold around 2,500 nonviolent detainees. However, efforts are being made to increase its capacity to accommodate up to 30,000 nonviolent migrants who are slated for deportation.
While the U.S. deportation efforts have faced criticism from immigration rights groups, the government remains committed to enforcing its immigration policies. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union and several other organizations filed a lawsuit against DHS, alleging that the detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility before their deportation on Thursday were denied access to lawyers.
DHS has dismissed the allegations made in the lawsuit, stating that all detainees are treated fairly and in accordance with the law. The government’s priority is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens by removing dangerous individuals who have violated the country’s laws. As Hegseth’s visit to Guantanamo Bay has shown, the U.S. is determined to work with its agencies to uphold its territorial sovereignty and protect its citizens.
