U.S. President Donald Trump Signs Executive Order to Prepare Guantanamo Bay for Migrant Detention
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will order his administration to prepare Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. military base in Cuba, to detain migrants. Trump signed an executive order instructing his Defense and Homeland Security departments to ready Guantanamo’s “migrant facility” during a ceremony to sign an immigration detention bill into law.
According to Trump, Guantanamo has thousands of beds available to “detain the worst criminal illegal aliens.” He stated that the facility has 30,000 beds, which would double the current capacity immediately, and added that “it’s a tough place to get out of.” This move is seen as part of Trump’s efforts to crack down on illegal U.S. border crossings and deport undocumented migrants en masse.
Guantanamo Bay has been used to hold hundreds of people suspected of terrorism and other crimes since 2002. The facility’s maximum capacity is unclear, but the Global Detention Project suggests that the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center has a capacity of 130. Currently, just four migrants are being held at the facility, according to The New York Times.
Trump’s announcement has sparked controversy, with some questioning the necessity of using Guantanamo Bay for migrant detention. This move is likely to be met with opposition from human rights advocates and others who are concerned about the treatment and conditions of detained migrants.
