WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he’s directing the opening of a detention center at Guantanamo Bay to hold up to 30,000 migrants who are living illegally in the United States.
Trump made the announcement just before he signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday. The immigrant detention measure is the first law of Trump’s new administration.
“We’re going to send them out to Guantanamo,” the president said in the White House East Room. He did not elaborate.
The U.S. military base has been used to house detainees from the U.S. war on terrorism.
The Laken Riley Act was described by Trump as a “landmark law” and “tremendous tribute” to the slain Georgia nursing student for whom it is named. The law mandates that people in the U.S. illegally who are accused of theft and violent crimes be detained and potentially deported, even before a conviction.
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,” Trump said during a signing ceremony that included 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”
