ISTANBUL

The US has relocated 40 migrants from the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba to the southern state of Louisiana, according to a report Wednesday by the New York Times.

The move, which occurred Tuesday, according to officials familiar with the matter, marks the second time the administration has brought migrants to Guantanamo only to remove them weeks later.

In late February, 177 Venezuelan migrants were repatriated to their home countries after being held at Guantanamo military base.

This time, however, the migrants were transferred to the US, with no official explanation provided, the newspaper reported.

There has been no official statement, confirming or denying the move.

The transfers are part of US President Donald Trump’s broader effort to carry out mass deportations.

A week after taking office, Trump ordered the defense and Homeland Security agencies to prepare to send migrants to Guantanamo, a move critics argued is an inappropriate use of a facility historically associated with terror detainees.

There were reports earlier that the US stopped the use of costly military aircraft to deport migrants who enter the country illegally, including those destined for Guantanamo.