Washington [US], March 14: Immigration officials have reportedly removed all migrants being held at Guantanamo Bay and returned them to the US, just weeks after sending the first batch to the US military base in Cuba.
According to US media reports, all the remaining migrants detained there were transported to another immigration facility in Louisiana.
In February, a separate group of migrants were abruptly moved from the facility after only a few weeks.
Shortly after taking office in January, President Donald Trump ordered that an existing facility used to hold migrants in Guantanamo Bay be expanded to hold some 30,000 people.
But so far, only a few hundred appear to have been sent there. It is unclear why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has brought the latest group of migrants held at Guantanamo back to the US. It declined the BBC's request for comment.
The move, however, comes just days before a federal judge is due to hear a legal challenge on the legality of the federal government's move to send migrants to Guantanamo, in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of human rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
US media report that 40 migrants were flown from Guantanamo to Alexandria in Louisiana on Tuesday and Wednesday, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has a processing facility.
A facility used to hold migrants at Guantanamo, called the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center, has been used by both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades - a practice long-criticised by some human rights groups.
Another facility, a high-security military prison once used to house detainees suspected of terrorism offences, is also located at Guantanamo.
The Washington Post reports that as of March 10, 23 migrants were being held in the military detention facility, while 17 others were detained in the Migrant Operations Center, citing a Pentagon official. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
