The PresidentOn Wednesday, Donald Trump signed a letter initiating the construction of a facility to detain thousands of migrants at the U.S. military station in Guantnamo Bay, Cuba, claiming that this was an attempt to “halt the border invasion.”
“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,” the memo said.
Trump said he will “instruct the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guant namo Bay” during the signing ceremony for the Laken Riley Act, an immigration detention bill.
The majority of people aren’t even aware of it. Guantnamo has 30,000 beds to house the most dangerous illegal aliens who pose a threat to the American people. Because we don’t want them to return, some of them are so terrible that we don’t even trust the nations to hold them,” he continued.
The naval facility “is a perfect spot” for Trump’s intentions to deport large numbers of people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Wednesday night.
“Move them off to Guant namo Bay, where they can be safely maintained until they are deported to their final location, their country of origin,” Hegseth told Fox News. “We know we can execute it, and the Defense Department is prepared to do everything we can.”
Five defense officials said that many Pentagon officials were taken aback by the Guant Namo news.
The Guant Namo expedition will be a DHS mission, according to one official. Beyond the document, the individual stated that the Pentagon has no directives or instructions from the White House, however it is unclear if the military will be involved.
Officials who were taken aback by Trump’s declaration stated that they are unsure of the number of migrant beds at Guant Namo and whether the mission would be temporary or permanent. According to them, there are no intentions to modify or improve the military facilities there.
Regarding Guant Namo Bay, one of the officers stated, “We’ve been ramping down this mission.”
With military construction assistance, a separate Migrant Operations Center might be established at the camp and managed by DHS.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Trump and DHS were evaluating “some resources that might be established for the worst of the worst at Guant namo Bay.”
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush established Guant Namo Bay as a prison facility in 2002. Both President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden expressed their desire to close the prison center while they were in government. Both failed.
After transferring 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman after they had been housed at Guant Namo Bay for more than 20 years, the Defense Department announced this month that 15 detainees are still there.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has taken additional steps to crack down on illegal immigrants in the US.
Trump proclaimed a national emergency at the border during his first week in office, which might allow the Pentagon to send troops, including the National Guard, there. In addition, he has signed numerous executive orders aimed at banning illegal immigration at the southern border and deporting millions of illegal immigrants.