WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the detention of immigrants at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
In Friday’s ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan denied the federal government’s motion to dismiss the case and set a hearing next week for the two sides to discuss next steps in the case.
President Donald Trump announced in January that his administration would use a detention center at Guantanamo to hold tens of thousands of the “most serious criminal aliens” as part of his broader immigration crackdown.
Suknanan said the federal government held about 500 migrants at Guantanamo between February and June, and authorities used the base as a transit point for migrants with final deportation orders.
Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who argued the case, said in a statement Saturday that he hoped the ruling “will end the Trump administration’s unlawful policy of sending immigrants to remote military bases solely for theatrical value.”
The American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups argue that transporting migrants to Guantánamo is illegal. The Trump administration says it has broad authority to detain immigrants with final deportation orders at the facility.
“We look forward to the high court vindicating our use of this facility to keep criminals off America’s streets,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.
The base, commonly known as “Gitmo,” is famous for the suspects who were brought here after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
