ACLU Sues Trump Over Gitmo Migrant Detainees’ Access to Attorneys
In February 2025, the ACLU and several immigrant advocacy groups, including RAICES, filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge the "incommunicado" detention of non-citizens at the Guantánamo Bay naval base. The legal action marks a historic confrontation over the first-ever transfer of immigrants apprehended on U.S. soil to the offshore facility, which critics label a "legal black hole" intended to evade due process and judicial oversight. RAICES joined the litigation as a plaintiff, with legal director Javier Hidalgo emphasizing that the administration's opacity and lack of procedural safeguards effectively nullify the ability of attorneys to advocate for immigrant rights or challenge unlawful detention. The lawsuit seeks a court order to grant legal counsel access to detainees and to force the Department of Homeland Security to disclose the identities and locations of those held within the base's immigration detention operations.
