WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to its Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The men are believed to be the first Cuban migrants sent to the base for deportation since January, when U.S. President Donald Trump set up a holding center for migrants designated for deportation from the United States, said the paper, citing people familiar with the matter.

The 22 men arrived at the base on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) air charter from the state of Louisiana on Sunday. The transfer restarted a Trump administration deportation operation on the base after a two-month pause, according to the NYT.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to say whether or how the men would be returned to the custody of the Cuban government, according to the paper.

ICE has held about 730 men at the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, most from Latin American countries, according to the report. Enditem