Immigrants' rights advocates have initiated legal proceedings against the Trump administration over the transfer of immigrants from the United States to detention at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The lawsuit was filed by several organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Center for Constitutional Rights, and International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). These groups are seeking access to provide legal assistance to those detained under President Trump's recent order.
The plaintiffs include family members of detainees and four legal service providers: Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), American Gateways, and Americans for Immigrant Justice. The Trump administration has not disclosed details about these detentions, such as duration or conditions.
Lee Gelernt from the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project criticized the administration's actions: “By hurrying immigrants off to a remote island cut off from lawyers, family, and the rest of the world... It will now be up to the courts to ensure that immigrants cannot be warehoused on offshore islands.”
Baher Azmy of the Center for Constitutional Rights highlighted historical concerns with Guantánamo: “It is appalling but not surprising that the Trump administration is exploiting and expanding... performative cruelty mixed with another authoritarian power grab.”
Eunice Cho from ACLU’s National Prison Project added that constitutional rights must be upheld: “Our Constitution does not allow the government to hold people incommunicado.” Plaintiff Eucaris Carolina Gomez Lugo expressed concern after seeing her brother in images released by authorities who alleged ties to Venezuelan gangs.
Jennifer Babaie of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center emphasized potential human rights abuses: “Guantánamo is a breeding ground for violence... Our government is targeting Venezuelans unnecessarily.” Deepa Alagesan from IRAP stated, “Secretly transferring people... without access to legal representation or the outside world is not only illegal, it is a moral crisis.”
Javier Hidalgo from RAICES noted procedural concerns: "At RAICES, we are deeply troubled by... lack of procedural safeguards." Rebecca Lightsey of American Gateways described it as a "grave violation" while Paul Chavez from Americans for Immigrant Justice warned about limited oversight capabilities due to this move.
A letter sent last week by these groups to U.S. defense officials went unanswered leading them to pursue this lawsuit. Arthur Spitzer from ACLU of D.C. concluded, “If the Trump administration thinks they can strip immigrant detainees of their rights by shipping them to Guantánamo, they’re wrong."
The complaint document can be accessed via links provided by ACLU.
