Somali Man Transferred to Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility

Minnesota — A 31-year-old Somali man living in Minnesota has been transferred to the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to local media reports. Adan Abdullah said federal immigration officers detained him in December as the administration of President Donald Trump stepped up efforts to deport Somali migrants who lacked valid travel documents. He said the officers did not show him a warrant or explain why he was being detained. Abdullah arrived in the United States in 2023 as an asylum seeker and later obtained work authorization and a Social Security number. He worked as an auto mechanic, while a search of Minnesota court records reportedly found no criminal convictions, apart from two parking tickets issued in early 2025. He said authorities transferred him between detention facilities in Minnesota, Kentucky and Louisiana before telling him he would be deported to Somalia via Miami. Instead, he was taken to Guantanamo Bay, where he says he has been held for nearly two weeks. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Abdullah said he is among eight Somali detainees being held at the facility, several of whom were arrested in the Twin Cities area. The US government has not publicly explained why Abdullah or the other Somali detainees were transferred to Guantanamo Bay. The case has raised questions over the use of the US military facility for immigration detainees and the legal basis for transferring migrants there. Abdullah's account could not be independently verified, and further details about his legal status and the circumstances of his transfer were not immediately available. Read the original article on Shabelle . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.