Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics
Demian Bio

Three Venezuelans Managed To Avoid Being Deported To Guantanamo; They Were Deported Instead

Guantanamo Bay (Credit: Photo credit should read THOMAS WATKINS/AFP via Getty Images)

The three Venezuelan men who got a court to prevent the federal government from sending them to Guantanamo Bay were instead deported to their home country.

The men were deported the day after a federal judge approved a temporary order to block their transfer to the Cuban enclave. The Center for Constitutional Rights had asked for the measure arguing that they had a "pending case before the court challenging their unlawfully prolonged detention."

The advocacy group said the men had in fact heard rumors that more transfers to Guantanamo Bay 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."

A lawyer for the group also criticized the deportation, saying that the "overnment's baseless accusations in this case that two of the (immigrants) are affiliated with the infamous Tren de Aragua gang raises grave concerns about risks to their lives and freedom upon their return to Venezuela," according to The Associated Press.

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."

Lawyers consulted by the Washington Post highlighted last week that some of the suspected gang members taken to the military prison in Guantanamo Bay are in a "legal black hole." They said that the names of the detainees have not been released, nor the crimes they are suspected of.

Moreover, they said that even if they are confirmed to be gang members, they don't qualify to be held in the high-security area of the prison, which has been described by former inmates as a "tomb above ground."

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem did not rule out sending undocumented immigrants who did not commit violent crimes to Guantanamo Bay, saying it will "have facilities meeting the same standards as others in the U.S."

© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.