Eight Somali men deported from the United States have arrived in Mogadishu after spending about a month at the US military facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following their detention by US immigration authorities.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (Somali Report) — Eight Somali men deported from the United States arrived in Mogadishu on Thursday after being held for about a month at the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News.
The men had been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before being transferred to Guantanamo in late August. They were later flown to Somalia, with their arrival marking the latest use of the US military base in Cuba in immigration deportation operations.
Among those deported was Adam Abdullah, 31, a Somali national who had been living in Minnesota after arriving in the United States in 2023 while seeking asylum. Abdullah told MPR News that federal immigration agents arrested him in St. Paul in December during an operation launched by the Trump administration.
Abdullah said he had been working legally as an auto mechanic while his asylum case was pending. He was moved between detention facilities in Minnesota, Kentucky and Louisiana before being transferred to Guantanamo with seven other Somali men in late August, he told MPR.
According to Abdullah, the detainees were initially told that their flight to Somalia would make a refuelling stop in Cuba. Instead, they were taken to the Guantanamo facility, where he said they were held under tight security and allowed only limited communication with relatives.
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He described the detention as difficult and said he experienced significant emotional distress during his time in custody. Abdullah also said his mother became ill while he was detained and died in March. He told MPR that he learned about her illness shortly before her death but was not allowed to leave the United States or make an international call to her.
The US Department of Homeland Security has defended the deportations, describing the eight men as among its most serious immigration cases, but did not provide MPR News with evidence that they had committed crimes. The department has also declined to disclose details about individual deportation flights, citing operational security.
The use of Guantanamo for immigration detainees has drawn legal scrutiny. The American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the practice in court, while immigration lawyers have raised concerns about access to detainees and their ability to pursue legal options. An AP report this week said ICE had also stopped publicly displaying the locations of detainees with final removal orders in its online locator system, making it harder for lawyers and relatives to track some detainees.
The deportations come amid an intensified immigration enforcement campaign under President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January 2025 after campaigning on a pledge to carry out large-scale deportations. US officials said in July that the administration had deported nearly one million undocumented immigrants since Trump returned to office, although government figures combine removals by ICE and border authorities.
For Abdullah, the return to Somalia ended months of detention, but he told MPR that the experience at Guantanamo had left a lasting impact. He said he was relieved to regain his freedom and reunite with his family in Mogadishu.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
