Judge blocks transfer of suspected Tren de Aragua members to Guantanamo Bay

On Sunday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan men who were being held in New Mexico to Guantanamo Bay as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to remove illegal immigrants from the United States. They had been suspected of being connected to Tren de Aragua, according to their lawyers who contested the accusation in a court filing. 

Judge Kenneth J Gonzales on Sunday granted a temporary restraining order on Sunday after attorneys for the three said in a filing that their clients "fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo, ie Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang," according to Fox News.

The attorneys requested that a US District Court in New Mexico grant the temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration from flying them to Guantanamo Bay, and that "the mere uncertainty the government has created surrounding the availability of legal process and counsel access is sufficient to authorize the modest injunction."

Gonzales wrote in his order, "Considering the uncertainty surrounding jurisdiction, the court determines it is necessary to enjoin the transfer of petitioners to Guantánamo Bay," per the New York Times. Gonzales, who is overseeing the ongoing case brought forth by the three men, said that blocking any attempt to transfer them to Guantanamo "is necessary to achieve the ends of justice entrusted to this court."

In late January, Trump announced that Guantanamo Bay would be prepared for usage as a place to detain criminal illegal immigrants. Trump said the 30,000-person facility would be used to "detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust the countries to hold them, because we don’t want them coming back so we’re going to send them to Guantanamo. This will double our capacity immediately."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed on February 4 that the first flights of illegal immigrants bound for Guantanamo Bay were underway.