Trump Says Illegal Migrants That Poses High Security Threats Will Be Sent To Detention Centre At Guantanamo Bay.
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to construct a migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, which he claims will hold up to 30,000 individuals.
The facility, separate from the high-security military prison at the US naval base, is intended to house what Trump described as “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
Guantanamo Bay has previously been used to house migrants, though the practice has drawn criticism from human rights groups.
Expansion of Migrant Detention Operations
Speaking on Wednesday, Trump’s “border tsar,” Tom Homan, confirmed that the existing migrant operations centre at Guantanamo would be expanded and placed under the control of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Migrants intercepted at sea by the US Coast Guard could be transported directly to the facility, where, according to Homan, the “highest detention standards” would be applied. However, details regarding the cost and completion timeline remain unclear.
The US has used the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC) for decades to detain migrants picked up at sea. A 2024 report by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) accused the government of holding migrants there indefinitely in “inhumane” conditions.
The Biden administration had previously stated that the facility “is not a detention centre and none of the migrants there are detained.” The Trump administration, however, has made it clear that the expanded site will function as a detention facility.
Political and International Reactions
Trump’s announcement coincided with the signing of the Laken Riley Act, a law requiring undocumented immigrants arrested for theft or violent crimes to be held in jail until trial. Named after a Georgia nursing student allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan migrant, the bill passed Congress last week, marking an early legislative victory for Trump’s administration.
At a White House signing ceremony, Trump defended the Guantanamo expansion, 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 plan has been met with strong opposition from Cuba. President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the move as an “act of brutality,” while Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the US of showing “contempt for the human condition and international law.”
Guantanamo Bay has long been a point of contention between the US and Cuba. The naval base, which has operated under US control since 1903, has been viewed by Cuba’s government as “occupied territory” since Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959.
The Trump administration is expected to request funding for the facility’s expansion as part of an upcoming spending bill. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the funds would be allocated through “reconciliation and appropriations.”
Meanwhile, human rights organisations continue to express concern over the detention conditions at Guantanamo and the broader implications of Trump’s immigration policies.
