Trump says he will open Guantanamo Bay detention centre for illegal migrants
US President Donald Trump has said he is directing the opening of a detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to hold up to 30,000 migrants who are living illegally in the United States.Mr Trump made the announcement right before he signed the Laken Riley Act into law as his administration’s first piece of legislation.
“We’re going to send them out to Guantanamo,” the president said in the White House East Room. He did not elaborate.The US military base has been used to house detainees from the US war on terrorism.The bipartisan measure means that people who are in the US illegally and are accused of theft and violent crimes would have to be detained and potentially deported even before a conviction.
The measure quickly passed the new Republican-controlled Congress with some Democratic support even though immigrants rights advocates said it possibly could lead to large roundups of people for offences as minor as shoplifting.
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Mr Trump, who won back the White House by tapping into public anger over illegal immigration, has made the promised crackdown a centrepiece of his political career, and is now suggesting the new law might only be the beginning.
The Laken Riley Act was described by Mr Trump as a “landmark law” and “tremendous tribute” to the murdered Georgia nursing student after whom it is named.Laken Riley, 22, went out for a run in February 2024 and was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who was in the country illegally.
Ibarra was found guilty in November and sentenced to life without parole.“She was a light of warmth and kindness,” Mr Trump said during a signing ceremony that included Ms Riley’s parents and sister.“It’s a tremendous tribute to your daughter what’s taking place today, that’s all I can say. It’s so sad we have to be doing it.”He added: “It’s a landmark law that we’re doing today. It’s going to save countless lives.”
Source: Upday news