Hundreds of troops have deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to support “holding operations” for a new 30,000-person migrant facility.

The Department of Defense confirmed the arrival of the first 10 “high threat" migrant criminals to Guantanamo Bay, all of whom are members of the violent Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua.

The US has sent the first group of migrants to Guantanamo Bay since President Donald Trump announced plans to expand migrant detention at the base, officials say. A brief statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the detainees were part of the Tren de Aragua - a gang that originated in Venezuela's prisons.

A second deportation flight carrying 13 Venezuelan gang members wanted for a range of violent crimes departed El Paso, Texas, for Guantanamo Bay in Cuba Thursday. The flight roster includes a Tren de Aragua gang member who committed a homicide and another who admitted he is wanted in Venezuela for escaping from jail,

The first U.S. military flight deporting migrants from the United States to Guantanamo Bay landed in Cuba on Tuesday evening, according to a U.S. official. It was the first step in an expected surge in the number of migrants sent to the U.