Homeland Security, rights group to meet in court over migrants at Guantanamo Bay

U.S. government lawyers are set to go head-to-head with attorneys representing civil and immigration rights groups regarding the use of a U.S. naval base in Cuba for detaining migrants awaiting deportation. Two lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem are scheduled for hearings in a U.S. District Court in Washington on Friday. The lawsuits claim that the U.S. government has violated the Constitution by denying migrants at Guantanamo Bay access to legal representation and trying to transfer them to the base without proper legal authority. DHS officials have refuted the allegations and criticized the groups behind the lawsuits. President Trump initially proposed using the Cuban naval base for mass deportations, but the plans were not fully implemented. Recent actions by DHS to evacuate migrants from Guantanamo Bay have sparked criticism from immigrant rights groups involved in the ongoing legal battles.