US Sends Cuban Migrants to Guantanamo Bay, Defying Court Order

The US government has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to the Guantanamo Bay naval base. Officials plan to deport them from there, according to a New York Times report. The move happened on Sunday. It appears to defy a recent federal court ruling. A judge in Washington state had blocked new rules from the Trump administration. Those rules aimed to quickly deport asylum seekers to other countries. The judge said the policy likely violated US law. The 22 migrants had entered the United States illegally. They were taken to the base in Cuba, which is best known for its military prison. The Department of Homeland Security has not commented. The agency has previously called Guantanamo Bay a "safe" location for processing migrants. Legal experts say using the base may be an attempt to avoid US courts. Immigration cases are typically handled on American soil.