By Associated Press’s WILL WEISSERT
Washington (AP) President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is ordering the construction of a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house up to 30,000 migrants who are living in the US illegally and cannot be sent back to their countries of origin during the signing of the Laken Riley Act.
Trump made the announcement shortly before he signed his first statute as president, the immigration detention act.
In the White House East Room, the president declared, “We’re going to send them out to Guantanamo.” He didn’t go into detail.
Detainees from the U.S. war on terrorism have been housed inside the U.S. military installation.
Trump called the Laken Riley Act a historic statute that pays a great homage to the Georgia nursing student who was killed and for whom it is named. Even before they are found guilty, the law requires that those who are illegally in the United States who are accused of violent or theft-related offenses be held and maybe deported.
In February 2024, 22-year-old Laken Riley was assassinated while out for a run by unlawfully present Venezuelan Jose Antonio Ibarra. In November, Ibarra was convicted and given a life sentence without the possibility of release.
During a signing ceremony that included Riley’s sister and dad, Trump remarked that she was a beacon of generosity and warmth. All I can say is that today’s events are a wonderful tribute to your daughter. We must do it, and it’s very sad.
We’re passing a historic measure today, he continued. It will save a great many lives.
More in Nation-World News