Somalis held at Guantánamo Bay deported to Mogadishu

Mogadishu (Caasimada Online) — Eight Somali men who had been held for nearly a month at the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay have been deported from the United States, finally arriving in the city of Mogadishu.

The men left Cuba on Thursday, and their journey included stops in Puerto Rico, Dakar, and Nairobi, before being transferred to another plane from the Kenyan capital to Mogadishu.

Adam Abdullah, one of the deported men, told MPR News that they initially thought the plane they were on was only going to Guantánamo Bay to refuel, but when they arrived there, they were transferred to a facility where the U.S. government plans to hold people for deportation.

Adam said that the Somali men began a hunger strike on the second day after they were not informed of the reason for their detention and how long they would be held.

“It was a very difficult situation,” Adam said.

He also accused the guards at the facility of beating him after he participated in the hunger strike.

“They beat me and put me in a very cold room to intimidate the other men,” Adam told MPR News.

This claim has not been independently verified. MPR reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not specifically respond to the allegations regarding the beating.

Nine months of imprisonment

Adam, who is 31 years old, came to the U.S. in early 2023 as an asylum seeker, and he was allowed to work while his immigration case was pending.

He had been working in auto mechanics in Minnesota when U.S. immigration officials arrested him on December 12, 2025.

He was then transferred to facilities in Minnesota, Kentucky, and Louisiana, before being sent to Guantánamo Bay along with seven other Somalis at the end of August.

Sahan Journal previously reported that an immigration judge ordered Adam's deportation on May 14, and he had no pending appeals when he was sent to Guantánamo.

MPR also reported that an investigation into Minnesota court records found no criminal charges against Adam, except for two fines related to parking violations during the winter.

Adam said that the Somali men were kept under heavy guard, with only about one hour a day allowed outside, and they were chained when taken to use the phone.

He said he continued the hunger strike until he was allowed to contact someone from the Somali embassy, at which point he learned that plans were being made to deport him to Mogadishu.

DHS defends the action

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defended the actions taken against the Somali men, stating that some of those taken to Guantánamo had criminal histories including assault, weapons, robbery, and drug-related offenses.

However, the department did not specify the allegations, particularly linking them to any individual.

MPR reported that the U.S. government described the eight men as “the worst of the worst,” but did not provide evidence showing that these men had committed crimes in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Adam said that nine Somalis ultimately boarded the plane heading to East Africa — the eight taken from Guantánamo and another Somali man who boarded the plane in Louisiana.

Attorney Marc Prokosch, representing Adam and three of the other men, stated that since they had final deportation orders, the action to return them to Somalia appeared legally justified.

The main legal debate now revolves around the use of Guantánamo Bay to hold civilians awaiting deportation, an issue that human rights groups have challenged in U.S. courts.

Adam said that even upon arriving in Mogadishu, he faced new questions, as the name Guantánamo has long been associated with people suspected of terrorism.

“Even some of my family do not believe that I went there without committing any crime,” he said.