Trump wants to lock up to 30,000 “criminal immigrants” in Guantánamo

US President Donald Trump wants to have a detention center for criminal migrants set up in the US naval base Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. Trump said at an event in the White House on Wednesday, where 30,000 of the “worst criminal illegal immigrants” could be detained in the future. Previously, the US President had signed the first law of his new term and thus sealed the intensified procedure against certain migrant groups.

Trump initially announced no further details about the surprising Guantánamo advance. He said with a view to some criminal migrants and their home countries: “Some of them are so bad that we don’t even trust the countries to capture them because we don’t want them to come back.” The 78-year-old continued: “So we will send her to Guantánamo.” It is difficult to get out of there. The Republican announced that he would instruct the Department of Defense and the Ministry of Homeland to start preparing for it.

Controversial military prison in Cuba

The US naval base Guantánamo Bay on For is notorious for a controversial prison camp that the United States had built after the attacks of September 11th. At times, almost 800 people were detained there. The camp was then under the Republican President George W. Bush set up to capture alleged Islamist terrorists without a process. Human rights organizations have long been calling for closure. However, a small number of prisoners are still housed there.

Trump has been driving a tough course in migration policy since taking office. He made the announcement in a ceremony in the White House, in which he signed a law that significantly tightened the procedure against certain migrant groups. For days, his government has also been promoting the arrest and deportation of criminal migrants and those without a residence permit. The Republican had promised almost every day in the election campaign that he would start “the biggest deportation program in American history”.

For Trump, the deportation law is a “milestone”

“This law is a milestone,” said the Republican during the ceremony in the White House. “It will save the lives of countless innocent Americans.” The Congress had passed the law last week. It obliges federal authorities to capture migrants without a valid residence status – as well as those with temporary protection status – in special detention centers if they are accused of certain offenses. In addition to break -ins and attacks on police officers, this also includes minor offenses such as shoplifting. So far, detention was only mandatory for very serious crimes.

If possible, the deportation should take place quickly and directly from custody. The law could thus lead to asylum seekers being deported before their application has been decided.

Convention not necessary

A mere suspicion is sufficient – a conviction is not necessary. Those affected are neither entitled to a hearing nor at the release against the deposit or an exam whether they actually represent a security risk. ́

The project received non -partisan support in the congress. It is named after a 22 -year -old student who was murdered in the state of Georgia in 2024 by a migrant from Venezuela living in the country, who was already known for theft due to theft. The case caused horror nationwide. Riley’s mother was present in the White House at the signing ceremony and thanked Trump with tears for the law. “He holds his word,” she said.

Critics warn of disproportionality

Proponents emphasize the deterrent effect of the law and its contribution to public security. Critics see this an instrumentalization of the tragedy for disproportionately hard measures. You see the rule of law at risk; The risk of confusion or racially motivated false debt is great.

Trump had shown himself more often in the election campaign with relatives of victims who were murdered by illegally murdered migrants living in the country. In his speeches, he gave the impression that people without valid papers were a general serious criminal. Studies contradict this: For fear of deportation, they are less likely to be a US citizen.