In a move to address the ongoing border crisis, President Donald Trump has issued a memorandum directing the expansion of the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to full capacity. The memorandum, addressed to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, aims to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.
“This memorandum is issued in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty,” the document states.
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The detention center, often referred to as Gitmo, will be used to accommodate up to 30,000 migrants who are in the U.S. illegally. The move is intended to address overcrowding in existing detention facilities and to deter illegal immigration.
“Today, I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said while signing the Laken Riley Act.
“Most people don’t even know that we have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Noem hinted at the administration’s plans during an interview on Fox News.
The memorandum instructs Hegseth and Noem to take “all appropriate actions” to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Guantanamo Bay to its full capacity.
The facility, which has historically been used to detain terrorism suspects, will now serve as a key component of the administration’s strategy to address immigration enforcement challenges.
The expanded center will provide detention space for high-priority criminal aliens—individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States and have been identified as posing a significant threat to public safety or national security.
The memorandum also tasks the DoD and the DHS with addressing additional immigration enforcement needs identified during the expansion process.
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The memorandum explicitly states that it does not create any enforceable rights or benefits for individuals or entities. “This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person,” the document clarifies.
The expansion of the Migrant Operations Center will require coordination between the DoD and DHS, as well as significant logistical and operational planning. The administration has not yet provided a timeline for when the facility will reach full capacity.
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