The U.S. government flew 177 Venezuelan migrants from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras on Thursday, from where they are set to be transferred on to Venezuela, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security said.
Earlier on Thursday, the Honduran government said about 170 Venezuelan migrants were set to arrive in the Central American nation from the United States, before being transported immediately back to Venezuela.
The transfer of the migrants would take place at Soto Cano, a joint U.S.-Honduras military air base, the Honduran government said.
Venezuela requested the repatriation of the citizens who it said were unjustly taken to Guantanamo naval base, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement posted on Telegram, adding they would be flown from Honduras by Venezuelan airline Conviasa.
The arrival in Venezuela is expected Thursday evening local time.
Lawyers representing at least half a dozen of the deportees said they learned about the deportations on Thursday afternoon.
The deportations come after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last week seeking access to dozens of migrants flown to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying they were being denied the right to an attorney.
The deportees included 126 people with criminal charges or convictions, 80 of whom were allegedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, adding that 51 had no criminal record.
There are no migrant detainees left at Guantanamo after Thursday’s deportations, the spokesperson said.
The U.S. has designated Tren de Aragua a global terrorist organization along with other organized crime groups, as President Donald Trump steps up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members in the United States.
