Lawyers for the Trump administration argued in court on Thursday that the administration has the authority to send migrants to military bases around the globe, according to a new report.
The New York Times reported on Thursday on an exchange between Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan of the Federal District Court in Washington and August E. Flentje, a senior Justice Department lawyer. The two argued over whether the Trump administration could detain migrants abroad, a question that the American Civil Liberties Union has asked the court to resolve.
The judge asked the lawyer directly whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem could send migrants to military bases around the globe.
"I don't see why not," Flentje replied.
The exchange illustrates the Trump administration's focus on immigration as a domestic policy issue. The administration has significantly increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security to hire more immigration officers. However, the rollout of the enforcement operations has been legally dubious, as American citizens became ensnared in several immigration raids.
The U.S. has held about 710 migrants at Guantanamo Bay since February, according to the report. The ACLU has argued that these detainees should be freed because they have not had a meaningful chance to exercise their due process rights.