The New York Times reported on Wednesday that 53 Venezuelan illegal immigrants were sent to Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. military detention facility in Cuba that houses terrorists and other serious criminals, mostly from other countries.
The Times thinks the story is a scoop because the prisoners are being guarded by members of the U.S. military, while the government under President Donald Trump has said that civilian ICE agents and other personnel are doing that job.
"The civilian law enforcement role of immigration detention is being essentially militarized," the Times claimed.
“This is the first time we’ve seen the government send people from U.S. soil to an overseas camp, and it’s been unclear exactly what role the military is playing,” Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union immigrant rights lawyer, said. “All of this potentially raises legal issues we’ve never seen before.”
No doubt the ACLU is salivating at the idea of challenging the administration's actions in court.
The administration confirmed that the Venezuelans--"violent gang members and other high-threat illegal aliens"--are being held at Guantanamo.
That's all it's saying for now.
As far as what the American people see, it's an administration that is doing what it said it would do--getting criminal illegal immigrants off the streets and out of the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted photos of some detainees as they boarded planes for Guantanamo.
"President @realdonaldtrump has been very clear: Guantanamo Bay will hold the worst of the worst. That starts today," she wrote.
President @realdonaldtrump has been very clear: Guantanamo Bay will hold the worst of the worst. That starts today. pic.twitter.com/Iqxt5rCfWa
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 4, 2025
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) posted back on February 4 that flights to Guantanamo had begun.
"Flights to Guantanamo Bay have begun. The worst of the worst have no place in our homeland," it captioned a video showing shackled detainees boarding planes.
Other than the photos, the administration is being tight-lipped about who was sent there, at least for now. But it's clear that Trump has gotten serious about criminal migrants and getting them away from any Americans they could potentially harm.
