Trump says he’ll use Guantanamo Bay to detain illegal immigrants

Published January 29, 2025 4:11pm ET



President Donald Trump announced plans to sign a memorandum instructing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing a 30,000-bed immigrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

Trump made the surprise declaration during the signing of the Laken Riley Act at the White House Wednesday afternoon to prepare a migrant facility at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which was used to detain suspected terrorists during the George W. Bush administration.

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