A federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has issued a legal order preventing the transfer of three Venezuelan immigrants to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba as part of President Trump’s immigration crackdown. The court blocked the administration’s plans, citing concerns raised by the immigrants’ lawyers that the detainees were being targeted for transfer to Guantanamo due to false allegations of ties to a gang from Venezuela known as the Tren de Aragua.
The lawyers argued that the uncertainty created by the government regarding legal process and access to counsel warranted a temporary restraining order to halt the transfer. Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales granted the order during a brief hearing, despite opposition from the government. Attorney Jessica Vosburgh, representing the three men, noted that this was a short-term measure and that further legal proceedings would take place in the coming weeks.
The legal filing was part of a lawsuit brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, and the Las Americas Immigrant Advisory Center on behalf of the three men. The Tren de Aragua gang, which originated in a Venezuelan prison, has seen its influence grow as a result of the political and economic turmoil in Venezuela, leading to increased migration of Venezuelans to other parts of Latin America and the U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently confirmed that detainees had been flown to Guantanamo, prompting immigrant rights groups to demand access to those detained there to prevent the base from becoming a “legal black hole.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that over 8,000 individuals have been arrested in immigration enforcement actions since the President’s inauguration, and President Trump has reiterated his commitment to deporting millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
