Trump's Radical Migration Strategy Targets Guantanamo Bay for Migrant Detention. President Donald Trump has unveiled a controversial plan to detain up to 30,000 undocumented migrants at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba, marking a significant escalation of his immigration enforcement strategy. During a White House ceremony, Trump signed an executive order directing the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security to prepare a migrant detention facility at the location. The announcement came alongside the signing of the Laken Riley Act, a bill mandating pre-trial detention for migrants charged with theft or violent offenses. The act is named after a nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan national, which Trump cited as a key motivation for the stringent new policy.

The proposed detention center would be separate from the existing high-security military prison at Guantanamo Bay, which has historically been associated with terrorism suspects. Trump emphasized that the facility would be used to detain what he termed "criminal illegal aliens" who are considered threats to public safety. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had previously signaled the administration's intention to explore this option, positioning it as part of a broader overhaul of immigration policy. The president claimed the move would "double our capacity immediately" to hold undocumented migrants, describing Guantanamo as a "tough place to get out of". The administration has simultaneously been conducting high-profile arrests in major cities like New York, Chicago, and Denver, targeting individuals convicted of serious crimes.

The international response to the plan has been swift and critical. Cuba's government, through President Miguel Diaz-Canel, immediately denounced the move as an "act of brutality". He accused the United States of planning to imprison migrants in "illegally occupied territory" and highlighted concerns about potential human rights violations. The actual capacity of the facility remains unclear, with conflicting reports about the number of beds available. While Trump claimed 30,000 beds, other sources suggest the migrant operations center can accommodate only around 130 individuals. The Global Detention Project and the Homeland Security Department have provided conflicting information about the facility's true capacity.

The Guantanamo Bay plan is part of Trump's broader aggressive immigration agenda, which includes promises of the largest deportation in US history. The administration has already taken several significant steps, including canceling the Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans and declaring a national emergency at the southern border. Defense Department officials and border enforcement chief Tom Homan have indicated that the facility would be used as a temporary transit point to process and potentially deport migrants. The administration argues that some migrants are too dangerous to be returned to their home countries, justifying the use of the Guantanamo Bay facility as a solution to what they describe as a critical border security issue.