The Trump administration deported three illegal immigrants back to Venezuela following a judge’s decision blocking their transfer to Guantánamo Bay as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales of New Mexico issued a memo on Friday announcing that a March 3 status conference for the three Venezuelan migrants had been vacated just five days after blocking the Trump administration’s transfer efforts.
Gonzales stated that respondents had informed the court through a Notice of Removal that the three petitioners had been sent back to Venezuela, their home country, on February 10, 2025.
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The control is seen through the razor wire inside the Camp VI detention facility in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
The Trump administration has pledged to deport millions of the estimated more than 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally, including sending some to Guantánamo Bay.
Trump has characterized those deported to Guantánamo as “highly dangerous criminal aliens.”Â
However, this claim has been strongly disputed by some immigration advocates.Â
Venezuelan immigrants’ lawyers argued in a recent court filing that their clients “fit the profile” of individuals the Trump administration allegedly “has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo,” namely Venezuelan men in the El Paso area with false charges of connections to the Tren de Aragua gang.
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ICE agents are seen arresting 32 illegal aliens in a Palm Beach County, Fla., enforcement action. (ICE)
Judge Gonzales granted the migrants’ request for a temporary restraining order to prevent their transfer to Guantánamo, scheduling a status conference for March 3.
In response, the administration seems to have taken matters into its own hands.
The motion to vacate did not elaborate on the situation, only stating that, “[b]ecause Petitioners have now been removed to their home country, it is no longer necessary to hold a status conference” as previously planned.
“Nor is it necessary for parties to update the Court by February 24, 2025,” Judge Gonzales mentioned. “Thus, the status conference is hereby vacated.”
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The deportation occurred less than a month after President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan Laken Riley Act into law, giving authorities broad deportation powers over illegal immigrants accused of crimes.
Since Trump took office, White House officials claimed that thousands of individuals have been arrested in immigration enforcement actions.
