President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is directing the opening of a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 migrants living illegally in the United States. The announcement came just before the president signed the Laken Riley Act into law, marking the administration’s first major legislative achievement on immigration enforcement.
The Laken Riley Act, a bipartisan measure, mandates that individuals in the U.S. illegally who are accused of theft or violent crimes must be detained and potentially deported, even before a conviction.
The law is named after Laken Riley, a young woman whose tragic death earlier this year sparked national outrage and renewed calls for stricter immigration enforcement.
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Guantanamo Bay to Serve as Detention Facility
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, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem hinted at the administration’s plans during an interview on Fox News.
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When asked about options for countries that refuse to accept deportees, Noem stated that the administration is considering all available assets, including Guantanamo Bay, as a potential holding facility for detained individuals.
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