WASHINGTON – A small group of Chinese Muslims being held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay want a federal judge to order their release into the United States.

The detainees, known as Uighurs, have been in custody for almost seven years.

The Bush administration no longer considers them enemy combatants and says they cannot be sent back to China where they are considered terrorists. Supporters say the Uighurs might be tortured if turned over to Beijing.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina has scheduled a hearing Tuesday to consider releasing them to live with a group of Uighurs living in northern Virginia. The Bush administration says the judge does not have the authority to release the men into the United States.