A federal court on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan men to a holding facility in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Concretely, the court upheld a request from The Center for Constitutional Rights, which asked for a "temporary restraining order" given the fact that the men "have a pending case before the court challenging their unlawfully prolonged detention."
Court Blocks U.S. From Sending 3 Venezuelan Migrants to Guantánamo https://t.co/9fkoP0VRff small but important win for clients otherwise bound to the latest iteration of the legal black hole.
— Baher Azmy (@azmy_b) February 10, 2025
The ruling is a "small important win for clients otherwise bound to the latest iteration of the legal black hole," said Baher Azmy, the Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, on his X account.
The Trump administration said it will send undocumented immigrants who committed violent crimes to the Guantanamo Bay facility, which Trump said it will be able to hold up to 30,000 people. The government is particularly targeting suspected members of Venezuelan-born gang Tren de Aragua.
The advocacy group said the men had in fact heard rumors that more such transfers were coming and that they "fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantanamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang."
Migrants suspected of being part of Tren de Aragua have already been flown to Guantanamo, with some being kept in same prison where Al Qaeda suspects have been held. Defense officials confirmed the transfer to The New York Times, marking a contrast between the group and others set to be housed in a separate migrant facility on the base, claiming the former were too dangerous to stay with others.
How length of the detention for the Venezuelans remains unclear. According to a Defense Department statement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding the men temporarily while officials determine whether they will be deported to Venezuela or sent to another destination. The statement emphasized that the measure is intended to ensure "the safe and secure detention of these individuals until they can be transported to their country of origin or other appropriate destination."
The Guantánamo Bay base has historically housed both wartime detainees and migrants, though the groups have remained in separate facilities. Migrants have traditionally been under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, while suspected terrorists have been detained by the Defense Department. The Venezuelan migrants are now held at Camp 6, a medium-security prison with communal areas for dining and recreation, located within the base's detention zone.
Suspected gang members could also be send to El Salvador, with President Nayib Bukele making such an offer to U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio during the latter's visit to the country last week.
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