A flight carrying migrants arrived at Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday evening as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to address “illegal immigration”.
The deportation flight, which departed from El Paso, Texas, brought a small group of migrants to the high-security facility. The flight landed at 7:20 PM ET, according to the US Transportation Command.
The 10 individuals onboard were reportedly suspected members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, as confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security.
Unlike existing detainees, these migrants will be under the primary custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), not housed alongside other detainees at the Guantanamo Bay facility.
President Trump’s executive order, issued on January 29, directed the expansion of the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to accommodate migrants without legal status in the U.S. The base, already equipped with space for such operations, is now designated as a temporary location for processing migrants.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Guantanamo Bay has the capacity to house up to 30,000 migrants awaiting processing and deportation. He described the facility as being suitable for holding serious offenders, particularly those involved in criminal activity, such as the individuals from the Tren de Aragua gang.
Currently, around 300 service members are supporting the operations at Guantanamo Bay, with additional Marines expected to join. The Department of Defense confirmed its role in expanding the Migrant Operations Center, designed to house migrants separately from the high-security prison. The administration’s plan is to use the facility temporarily for processing and holding migrants, especially those considered serious offenders, before their deportation or for other interim measures.
