ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — On Sunday, a federal court made the decision to prevent the Trump administration from transferring three Venezuelan immigrants, currently held in New Mexico, to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba as part of the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
According to legal documents submitted earlier, the lawyers for the detainees argued that their clients “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantanamo, specifically Venezuelan men held in the El Paso region facing false allegations of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang.”
The legal team sought a temporary restraining order from a U.S. District Court in New Mexico, emphasizing that “the uncertainty that the government has instigated around the availability of legal processes and access to counsel warrants the issuance of this injunction.”
During a concise court hearing, Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales approved the temporary order despite the government’s opposition, according to attorney Jessica Vosburgh, representing the three Venezuelans. “This is a short-term measure. We expect this issue to be revisited and further clarified in the coming weeks,” Vosburgh stated.
A request for comment has been sent to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement regarding the legal proceedings.
This legal action is part of a broader lawsuit initiated on behalf of the three men by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, and the Las Americas Immigrant Advisory Center.
The Tren de Aragua gang, which started within a chaotic prison in Venezuela’s Aragua state more than ten years ago, has seen significant growth recently as millions of Venezuelans have fled the oppressive regime of President Nicolás Maduro, looking for refuge in various parts of Latin America and the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned last week that flights transporting detainees to Guantanamo had already commenced. In response, immigrant advocacy organizations issued a letter on Friday demanding access to individuals who have been relocated there, insisting that the naval base should not serve as a “legal black hole.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt disclosed on Wednesday that there have been over 8,000 arrests in connection with immigration enforcement actions since the inauguration of Trump on January 20. The former president has committed to deporting millions of the estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S.
