Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay over the weekend as the first group of undocumented migrants remains detained under military guard.

I was just in Cuba and saw firsthand criminal aliens being unloaded off a flight at GITMO. My message to criminal alien murderers, rapists, child predators and gangsters: do not come to this country or we will hunt you down, find you, and lock you up. pic.twitter.com/BokRSqp4kr

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 10, 2025

Noem emphasized the government's commitment to housing those deemed "the worst of the worst" during her visit.

"I'm down here at Guantanamo Bay checking out some of the operations that we're standing up to house the worst of the worst and illegal criminals that are in the United States of America. They won't be there for long," she stated.

However, legal challenges to the detentions are already emerging. A federal judge in New Mexico has issued a temporary restraining order, preventing the Trump administration from transferring three Venezuelan migrants arrested during a recent crackdown to Guantanamo Bay.

RELATED STORY |ACLU raises alarm on migrants’ conditions at Guantánamo Bay

The American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights organizations have expressed serious concerns regarding the conditions at the base and the migrants' limited access to legal representation. In a letter addressed to the Department of Homeland Security, these groups argued that the Guantanamo plan may not be legally sound and raised questions about which government agency has custody of the migrants.

Meanwhile, military leaders are preparing to fulfill a White House directive to potentially house thousands of deported migrants. Commander Rear Admiral Carlos Sardiello of U.S. Southern Command recently met with military personnel stationed at Guantanamo as preparations for the increased operations continue.

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