Dec 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. government has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to its naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for deportation, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Times said the men are believed to be the first Cuban citizens sent to the base since January, when President Donald Trump began his second White House term. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held about 730 men at the base this year.
Trump‘s use of the Guantanamo Bay naval base to house migrants appears to cost $100,000 per day for each detainee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters said during a hearing in May.
The White House has requested a huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement as it tries to achieve Trump‘s goal of mass deportations.
(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Rod Nickel)
