US President Donald Trump has authorized the establishment of a migrant detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, capable of holding up to 30,000 individuals. The facility, located at the US Navy base in Cuba, will be distinct from the high-security military prison and is intended to house the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people, as stated by Trump.
Guantanamo Bay has a history of housing immigrants, a practice that has faced criticism from various human rights groups. Trump's appointed "border tsar" Tom Homan mentioned that the existing facility will be expanded under the management of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Migrants intercepted at sea by the US Coast Guard could be directly transported to the facility, where stringent detention standards will be implemented.
Details regarding the cost and completion timeline of the facility remain uncertain. Cuba's government swiftly condemned the plan, accusing the US of torture and illegal detention on what they refer to as "occupied" land.
In a separate development, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, mandating the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for theft or violent crimes until trial. This legislation, named after a murdered nursing student in Georgia, represents an early victory for Trump's administration.
During the signing ceremony at the White House, Trump outlined that the new Guantanamo executive order would prompt the departments of defense and homeland security to prepare the 30,000-bed facility. Trump emphasized the need to detain migrants who are deemed dangerous: 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 envisioned facility is intended to double the US capacity for holding undocumented migrants. While the US has been utilizing the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC) for years, the upcoming expansion has sparked controversy amid allegations of inhumane treatment and indefinite detention by human rights organizations.
The Biden Administration clarified that the GMOC is not a detention facility and denied detaining migrants there. In contrast, the Trump administration asserts that the proposed expansion aims to establish a detention center. The administration plans to request funding from Congress for the expansion within a Republican spending bill.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem indicated that the allocation of funds would occur through "reconciliation and appropriations" when questioned by reporters at the White House. Guantanamo's military prison has historically held detainees captured after the 9/11 attacks, with current detainee numbers totaling 15.
The Cuban government swiftly criticized the facility's expansion, emphasizing its opposition to what they view as an occupied Guantanamo Bay. President Miguel Díaz-Canel labeled the announcement as an act of brutality, highlighting concerns over the treatment of migrants near the naval base. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez condemned the decision as disregarding human rights and international law.