Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Friday that a second flight to Guantanamo Bay carrying “dangerous criminal aliens” had departed a day earlier – just as she is heading to the site where up to 30,000 migrants could eventually be held.
“A second flight of dangerous criminal aliens took off for Guantanamo Bay yesterday. ALL are known gang members from Venezuela,” she said on X.
She said that those on board included an immigrant who confessed to homicide and another wanted in Venezuela for escaping jail and for aggravated robbery with a weapon/intent to commit homicide.
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This image shows migrants boarding a military flight to Guantanamo Bay. (Department of Homeland Security)
Other crimes said to be committed by passengers include weapons trafficking, robbery, drug distribution, assault and impersonation fraud.
Fox News reported Thursday that DHS had said there were 13 Venezuelan men on the plane, some of whom are suspected members of Tren de Aragua.
The Thursday flight was the second after a similar flight on Tuesday. Noem will visit the Guantanamo Bay facility on Friday, when she will see the detention and processing center and have tours and briefings on the site.
President Donald Trump announced last week that he was instructing the Pentagon to prepare to hold 30,000 nationals at the military base.
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Homeland Security Kristi Noem joins an ICE raid in New York City on Tuesday. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants. (Department of Homeland Security)
About 380 service members are supporting the holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday, adding that the number of service members will continue to fluctuate based on DHS requirements.
The Department of Defense (DOD) stated that these migrant criminals are being housed in vacant detention facilities. The DOD said that is only a temporary arrangement being made to “ensure the safe and secure detention of these individuals until they can be transported to their country of origin or other appropriate destination.”
DHS clarified that the Guantánamo Bay prison will be used to house only “the worst of the worst” criminals.
It is part of a broader mass deportation operation launched by the Trump administration on day one in office. President Trump declared a national emergency at the border and deployed the military to the border as part of a rapid-fire series of measures to crack down on illegal immigration.
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DHS has since taken a number of measures to free up ICE agents to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, and officers are frequently arresting over 1,000 a day.
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Fox News Digital reported on Thursday that any releases of illegal immigrants from ICE custody will now need the signature of the acting director, while the agency has also requested an apportionment of around $575 million from the Office of Management and Budget as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work quicker and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and 1 million removals a year.
Fox News’ Alexis McAdams, Peter Pinedo and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
