Dec ⁠16 (Reuters) – The U.S. government ⁠has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to its naval ⁠base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for deportation, the ​New York Times reported on Tuesday, ‍citing people familiar with the matter.

The Times said the men are believed to be the ​first Cuban citizens sent to the base since January, when President Donald Trump began his second ​White House term. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ⁠has held about 730 men at ‌the base this year.

Trump’s use of the Guantanamo ⁠Bay naval base to ​house migrants appears to cost $100,000 per ‌day for each detainee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters said during ‍a hearing in May.

The White House has requested a huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement as it tries to achieve Trump’s goal of mass deportations.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Bhargav Acharya; Editing ⁠by Doina Chiacu ‌and Rod ⁠Nickel)