By Joe
3-minute read
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a memo initiating plans to establish a facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, capable of housing thousands of migrants. He framed the move as part of his broader effort to "stop the invasion at the border."
In the memo addressed to the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, Trump directed officials to "take all necessary steps to fully expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, ensuring it operates at maximum capacity to detain high-risk criminal aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States."
During a CNN interview on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted that "resources could potentially be allocated at Guantánamo Bay for the absolute worst of the worst," adding that the administration, alongside DHS, was evaluating those options.
Trump hinted at the directive earlier in the day during a ceremony for the signing of the Laken Riley Act, a bill focused on immigration detention. At the event, he announced his intention to "task the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security with preparing a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay."
"Most people aren’t even aware of this, but we have 30,000 beds available at Guantánamo to detain the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens who pose a threat to the American people. Some of these individuals are so high-risk that we can’t trust their home countries to handle them—we can’t afford to let them return," Trump explained.
Guantánamo Bay first became a detention site in 2002 under President George W. Bush following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Both former President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama expressed intentions to shut down the facility during their respective administrations, though neither succeeded in doing so.
According to the Defense Department, as of this month, 15 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay. This follows the recent transfer of 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman after they had been held at the base for more than two decades.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has intensified efforts to address illegal immigration, targeting migrants living in the U.S. unlawfully. In his first week back in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border, a move that could authorize the Defense Department to deploy military and National Guard forces to the region. Additionally, he has signed multiple executive orders aimed at curbing illegal border crossings and facilitating the deportation of millions of individuals who entered the country illegally.
Trump’s recent announcement regarding Guantánamo Bay reportedly caught many Pentagon officials by surprise, according to five defense sources. One official clarified that the operation would fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, though it remains uncertain whether the military will play a role. As of now, the Pentagon has received no specific orders or guidance from the White House beyond the initial memo.
Officials expressed uncertainty about the details of the plan, including the number of migrant beds currently available at Guantánamo or whether the mission would be short-term or long-term. They also noted that there are no immediate plans to upgrade or modify the existing military facilities at the site.
“We’ve been scaling back this mission,” one official remarked regarding Guantánamo Bay’s operations. However, there is a separate Migrant Operations Center at the location that could potentially be expanded—possibly with military construction support—and managed by the Department of Homeland Security.
It is my personal feeling that this will be yet another major deterrent in regard to criminal illegals coming to our country and wreaking havoc. Also, with the smart move that Trump made to label cartel as terrorists, it would in turn make sense for them to be housed where other terrorists are housed.
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