Trump Plans to Send Migrants to Guantanamo Bay Amid Immigration Crackdown
In a controversial move, President Donald Trump has announced plans to build a massive migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, capable of holding up to 30,000 people. The decision, which marks a major escalation in his administration's immigration policies, has sparked swift condemnation from human rights groups and the Cuban government.
Speaking at a White House event, Trump defended the plan, saying the facility would house "the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people." The new facility will be separate from the existing high-security military prison at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, which has long been associated with detaining terrorism suspects. Trump's "border tsar," Tom Homan, later clarified that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would oversee the expanded site, ensuring that it meets "the highest detention standards."
Also Read:- Lori Harvey Stuns as Playboy’s First Cover Star in Five Years
- Historic Women's Ashes Test Begins at the MCG Under Lights
This announcement follows Trump's signing of the Laken Riley Act, a law that mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for theft or violent crimes. The act is named after a Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a Venezuelan migrant. At the signing ceremony, Trump emphasized that the U.S. could not rely on other countries to detain these individuals, stating, "Some of them are so bad we don't even trust the countries to hold them, because we don't want them coming back. So we're going to send them to Guantanamo... it's a tough place to get out."
The U.S. has historically used Guantanamo Bay for migrant detention, but on a much smaller scale. The Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC) has held individuals intercepted at sea, but human rights organizations have accused past administrations of keeping migrants in "inhumane" conditions. Trump's plan would dramatically expand the detention capacity, effectively doubling the U.S. government's ability to hold undocumented migrants.
The Cuban government has strongly opposed the move, calling it an "act of brutality" and accusing the U.S. of continuing illegal detentions on what it considers "occupied" Cuban land. Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez have both condemned the plan, arguing that it violates international law.
Despite the backlash, Trump's administration is pushing forward, reportedly seeking funding for the facility as part of a broader immigration enforcement spending bill. The cost and timeline for completion remain unclear, but the announcement signals a renewed hardline stance on immigration, a cornerstone of Trump's political platform. Whether Congress will approve the necessary funding and how the facility will operate remain pressing questions, but for now, the debate over Guantanamo Bay’s role in U.S. immigration policy is heating up once again.
Read More:
0 Comments