Published 08:28 IST, January 30th 2025
Trump Orders 30,000-Person Migrant Facility at Guantanamo Bay
On Wednesday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Departments of Defence and Homeland Security to prepare a Migrant facility.

Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum to set up a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay to detain "high-priority criminal aliens." The Guantanamo Bay facility, which has so far been used to hold terrorists, will now also house illegal immigrants with criminal records.
On Wednesday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Departments of Defence and Homeland Security to prepare a facility. The memorandum orders the expansion of the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to accommodate "high-priority criminal aliens" and address associated enforcement requirements. This move expands an existing migrant center at Guantanamo Bay, traditionally used for suspects accused in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Trump provided few details but said it would house “Most people don't even know about it. We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people," Trump stated at a White House event.
"Some of them are so bad, we don't even trust their home countries to hold them. Because we don't want them coming back, so we're going to send them to Guantanamo,” he said.
“This will double our capacity immediately. It's a tough place to get out of. Today’s signing brings us one step closer to eradicating the scourge of migrant crime in our communities once and for all,” he added.
During the first two weeks of his second term, Trump has intensified efforts to crack down on migrants, increasing detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. This escalation is part of Trump's pledge to fulfil a major campaign promise of removing illegal immigrants from the country.
He stated that the memorandum aims to stop border crossings, dismantle criminal cartels, and regain national sovereignty.
(With Inputs from PTI)
Updated 08:28 IST, January 30th 2025