President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing the federal government to prepare the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house tens of thousands of migrants. The memorandum calls for additional detention space at Guantanamo for 'high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.'
During a White House address, Trump highlighted the availability of 30,000 beds at Guantanamo to detain criminal illegal aliens, emphasizing an immediate doubling of capacity. This move aligns with the Laken Riley Act, recently passed by Congress with bipartisan support, mandating the detention of undocumented migrants charged with specific crimes.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will oversee the management of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for migrants, according to top immigration advisers. The facility will be an expansion of existing migrant centers, with oversight from the migrant center in Miami.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned the potential use of Guantanamo Bay to detain the 'worst of the worst' criminal migrants. However, concerns have been raised about the readiness of the base to accommodate up to 30,000 migrants, with a US official noting that the current capacity falls short of that number.
While Guantanamo Bay is known for its terrorism suspect detention camp, it also houses a migrant-processing center. The Biden administration had previously considered using this center for Haitian migrants and those affected by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
The Cuban government criticized Trump's plans, denouncing the move as an act of brutality and expressing concerns about housing migrants near alleged torture prisons on the base.
As discussions continue on the feasibility and implications of utilizing Guantanamo Bay for migrant detention, the future of this initiative remains subject to evaluation and potential challenges in meeting the proposed capacity.
