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U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the construction of a large-scale migrant detention center at Guantanamo Bay, stating that the facility will have the capacity to hold up to 30,000 people. The move signals a significant expansion of detention efforts amid ongoing immigration policy debates.
Trump stated that the planned facility at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba would operate separately from the high-security military prison and would be designated for “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.” The use of Guantanamo Bay for detaining migrants is not new, though human rights organizations have long condemned the practice.
Later in the day, Tom Homan, the official leading Trump’s border policies, confirmed that the migrant detention center at Guantanamo Bay would be expanded and operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He explained that individuals intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard would be transported directly to the facility, ensuring, in his words, the “highest” standards of detention.
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It is unclear how much the facility will cost or when it would be completed.
Cuba’s government swiftly condemned the plan, accusing the US of torture and illegal detention on “occupied” land.
His remarks accompanied the signing of the Laken Riley Act, a measure that bars the release of undocumented immigrants charged with theft or violent offenses, requiring them to remain jailed through trial.
Congress passed the bill last week, a move that delivered an initial legislative triumph for the administration. It was named in memory of a Georgia nursing student whose 2023 murder was linked to a Venezuelan migrant.
