Migrants being held at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay are now being permitted to speak to their attorneys by phone, an official for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a court filing.
According to a series of court filings released on Thursday that are part of a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups against the Department of Homeland Security, an ICE official said migrant detainees at Guantanamo are now able to speak with their lawyers, and that DHS is evaluating the “feasibility and necessity” for in-person counsel visits.
The Trump administration, as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration, has been sending to Guantanamo what officials call the most violent “worst of the worst” migrants apprehended on American soil — although ABC News reported earlier this week that the families of two detainees say their relatives being held there have no criminal record, despite DHC claims.
Juan Agudelo, an Acting Field Office Director for ICE, said in a court filing that there are currently 178 migrant detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay — all of whom are from Venezuela and have final orders of removal.
Of those detainees, 127 are being held at the facility’s “Camp VI” prison complex, while 51 detainees are being housed at the Migrant Operations Center.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, was filed on behalf of threee family members of current detainees and four organizations demanding access to them to provide legal representation.
In one of the declarations, Agudelo said the three detainees from the lawsuit were given access to speak to legal counsel on Feb. 17 at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Two of the detainees from the lawsuit are suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according Agudelo’s declaration.
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