U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to send thousands of undocumented migrants to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The move, which Trump revealed on Wednesday, is expected to house up to 30,000 people at the military base in Cuba.
Trump said the facility would be used to detain what he called “criminal illegal aliens,” marking a significant step in his efforts to tighten immigration policies during his second term. Guantanamo Bay, which has been used to hold terrorism suspects since the September 11, 2001 attacks, currently houses only 15 detainees from past conflicts, but it has held as many as 800 people in the past.
Speaking at the White House as he signed a bill aimed at increasing detention for migrants accused of crimes, Trump stated, “We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.” He also noted that this move would “double our capacity immediately” for holding undocumented migrants.
The announcement has sparked strong reactions both within the U.S. and internationally. Cuba condemned the plan as an “act of brutality.” Human rights activists have also raised concerns, pointing out the history of Guantanamo Bay and its association with human rights violations.
Newly appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in an interview with Fox News, noted that migrants would not be housed in the same area as the remaining 9/11 detainees. Instead, he suggested that new facilities could be built on a nearby golf course.
The number of migrants held in U.S. custody could rise significantly due to a bipartisan bill that Trump signed on Wednesday. The Laken Riley Act, named after a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed by an undocumented migrant, enforces stricter detention policies. At the bill’s signing ceremony, attended by Riley’s parents, Trump said, “Her name will also live forever in the laws of our country.”
