Trump Orders Guantanamo Bay to Be Prepped for Detaining Undocumented Migrants
Donald Trump signs pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters
Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is directing the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to prepare the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to house undocumented migrants.
The announcement came as Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, a bill with bipartisan support in Congress, which aims to crack down on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
“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 declared. “Most people don’t even know about it. We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
Trump justified the decision by arguing that some undocumented immigrants are so dangerous that their home countries cannot be trusted to detain them. “Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” he continued. “So, we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo, told Politico.
This will double our capacity immediately. That’s a tough, that’s a tough place to get out of.” The directive marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, repurposing the controversial military prison—originally established to detain suspected terrorists after 9/11—as a facility for undocumented migrants deemed a security threat.
The move is already sparking intense debate, with legal experts questioning whether detaining migrants at a military prison—especially one known for past human rights abuses—would withstand legal challenges. Immigration advocacy groups have condemned the policy as a drastic and unnecessary measure, arguing that it could violate both U.S. and international law.
Critics also point out that Guantanamo Bay’s history of indefinite detention without trial raises serious due process concerns. The Biden administration previously worked to reduce the prison’s detainee population, but Trump’s new order could reverse those efforts by dramatically expanding its use.
Supporters of the plan, however, argue that it would help alleviate overcrowding at U.S. immigration detention centers while ensuring that the most dangerous undocumented individuals remain securely detained.
As details of the policy unfold, it is likely to face legal challenges and opposition from human rights organizations. The broader implications of using a military prison for migrant detention remain uncertain, but Trump’s decision signals a hardline approach to immigration enforcement as his administration continues to push for stricter border security measures.
