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By Jesus Mesa and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is directing the opening of a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 migrants who are living illegally in the United States.
He made the announcement moments before signing the Laken Riley Act, an immigrant detention measure and the first law of his new administration.
Why It Matters
Trump's announcement followed a week of sweeping immigration measures, including deportation flights and raids that dominated headlines. It came during the signing of the Laken Riley Act, which he called a "landmark law" and a "tremendous tribute" to the slain Georgia nursing student for whom it is named.
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Riley, 22, was killed in February 2024 while out for a run. Her attacker, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national in the U.S. illegally, was found guilty in November and sentenced to life without parole.
The law requires the detention and potential deportation of individuals in the U.S. illegally who are accused of theft or violent crimes, even before a conviction.
What To Know
The announcement marks a stark escalation in Trump's immigration policies, reviving a controversial strategy last used during the Clinton administration, when thousands of Cuban and Haitian migrants were detained at Guantanamo Bay naval base between 1994 and 1996.
"We're going to send them out to Guantanamo. 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," Trump said, framing the move as a necessity for national security.
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"Some of them are so bad, we don't even trust the countries to hold them, because we don't want them coming back."
The decision also comes amid increased enforcement efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which recently conducted a series of raids that led to nearly 1,200 arrests in a single day.
While the Trump administration initially said it would prioritize deporting migrants with criminal records, White House press secretary Katherine Leavitt clarified on Wednesday that all migrants in the country illegally would now be considered as criminals.
The Guantanamo Bay, historically used to house terrorism suspects, currently operates a facility where Cuban and Haitian migrants intercepted at sea await asylum determinations under the supervision of the State Department, with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon.
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Katherine Leavitt, at a press conference on Tuesday: "Migrants who are here illegally are criminals, as far as this administration is concerned. I understand the previous administration didn't see it that way, so it's a significant 'culture shift' to recognize law-breakers as criminals, but that's what they are."
Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, said: "Donald Trump has backed the Democratic Party into a corner on immigration, and it will take time to get out. I want us to act based on our convictions about immigration, not out of fear."
What Happens Next
Shortly after the White House announcement, Trump directed the Defense and Homeland Security secretaries to fully expand the Guantanamo Bay Migrant Operations Center for detaining "high-priority criminal aliens" unlawfully in the U.S., per a document citing enforcement needs.
"I hereby direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States, and to address attendant immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security," the document reads.
Update 01/29/25 5:16 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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