Advocates ask court to give migrant detainees at Guantanamo access to lawyers

Washington — A group of advocates led by the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Wednesday asking a federal court to quickly require the Trump administration to give the migrant detainees it is holding at Guantanamo Bay access to lawyers.

Complying with an order from President Trump late last month, U.S. officials have been transporting dozens of unauthorized migrants to the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, using military aircraft. Administration officials have said the detainees will be held there until they can be deported.

In its 29-page lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the ACLU said those detained at Guantanamo have a right under the Constitution and federal immigration law to see legal counsel, and accused the Trump administration of holding them "incommunicado." The group demanded that lawyers be given immediate access to the migrant detainees there, virtually and in-person.