The first military flights to deport migrants from the United States to Naval Base Guantanamo Bay were slated to take off Tuesday.

The first U.S. military flight to deport migrants from the United States to Guantanamo Bay has departed and is expected to land Tuesday evening, two U.S. officials said. It is the first step in an expected surge in the number of migrants sent to the Navy base in Cuba,

Hundreds of troops have deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to support “holding operations” for a new 30,000-person migrant facility.