By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The first U.S. military aircraft carrying detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay is expected to depart on Tuesday, U.S. officials said, as President Donald Trump’s administration prepares to potentially house tens of thousands of migrants at the naval base in Cuba.
Trump said he wants the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security to expand a migrant detention facility at the base to hold more than 30,000 migrants.
“Today, the first flight from the United States to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on FOX Business.
One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the flight would be carrying nearly a dozen migrants.
The flight to Guantanamo Bay adds to military flights that have already deported migrants to Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and India.
The Pentagon has said it plans to deport more than 5,000 migrants held by U.S. authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese)
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