The Trump administration has abruptly cleared the Guantanamo Bay naval base of all immigrant detainees, flying nearly 200 Venezuelan nationals back to their home country on Thursday. The move came hours after the Department of Justice detailed the facility's population in a court filing, arguing that detainees have no statutory right to legal counsel.
Justice Department lawyers confirmed in a legal filing that 'there are no immigration detainees' remaining at the base. The removal renders a lawsuit by the ACLU and other groups demanding access to the prison for legal aid moot, with the government arguing that 'completion of the removal operation eliminates any need for temporary injunctive relief.'
According to court filings earlier this week, 178 immigrants were held at Guantanamo: 128 classified as 'higher-threat' in Camp IV, and 51 'lower-threat' detainees in a barracks-like Migrant Operations Center. Nearly a third were considered low-risk, likely without serious criminal records, per federal guidelines.
The Trump administration defended the use of the facility, which opened in 2002 for terrorism suspects, to house alleged Tren de Aragua gang members. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described them as 'the worst of the worst,' though lower-threat detainees may include nonviolent illegal immigrants with no criminal history.
Humanitarian groups have criticised the secrecy of the offshore prison, with Trump having suggested detaining up to 30,000 people there. The Justice Department maintains that detainees had access to phone calls and legal mail, though in-person visits were not permitted.
