Trump Plans Guantanamo Migrant Center
President Trump Signs Controversial Immigration Bill, Announces Guantanamo Detention Center Expansion

On January 29, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, the first legislation of his second term. The ceremony, held in the White House East Room, was attended by members of Congress and the family of Laken Riley, a young Georgia woman whose murder fueled the bill’s creation. U.S. Representative Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican whose district includes Riley’s hometown, was among those present. The act mandates the detention of immigrants arrested or charged with various crimes, including property offenses, and significantly expands the legal authority of state attorneys general to challenge federal immigration policies.

President Trump characterized the signing as a step towards “eradicating the scourge of migrant crime.” However, immigration advocates and legal professionals have expressed deep concerns, warning that the law could facilitate mass deportations and undermine due process rights for immigrants. They point to the limited capacity of ICE detention facilities (approximately 41,000 beds) and the potential for the bill to ensnare individuals with legal immigration status.

Adding to the controversy, President Trump announced a concurrent executive directive instructing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare a migrant detention center at Guantanamo Bay, capable of holding up to 30,000 individuals. He described this facility as a place to detain “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” a statement met with immediate criticism due to the facility’s history and human rights implications. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to inquiries regarding this plan, which represents a significant departure from the base’s typical use for detaining asylum seekers en route to the United States. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, confirmed that ICE would oversee the Guantanamo facility, describing the initiative as an “expansion upon the existing migrant center.” This claim contradicts the facility’s documented history.

The Laken Riley Act itself, while named for the murder victim, has drawn fire for its broad implications. Originally focused on property crimes, the bill was expanded by Senate Republicans to include assault on law enforcement and bodily harm. While gaining some bipartisan support, the legislation lacks exceptions for children and raises serious concerns about due process. Immigration attorneys argue the bill’s scope extends beyond unauthorized immigrants, potentially impacting those with discretionary statuses like humanitarian parole or DACA recipients (Dreamers).

The estimated cost of enforcing the Laken Riley Act is $26.9 billion in its first year, according to NPR, far exceeding ICE’s current budget of approximately $9 billion for fiscal year 2024. Further compounding the situation, the Trump administration recently authorized the cancellation of humanitarian parole for immigrants who arrived within the last two years, and legal advocates report being blocked from providing legal services in detention centers and experiencing funding cuts for assistance in immigration court. These actions, alongside the revocation of temporary protected status for approximately 600,000 Venezuelans, paint a picture of a sweeping and potentially controversial overhaul of U.S. immigration policy.

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