Trump to Transfer Undocumented Immigrants in US to Guantanamo Bay Prison
US

Trump to Transfer Undocumented Immigrants in US to Guantanamo Bay Prison

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events

Washington DC, United States - President Donald Trump has announced plans to transfer undocumented immigrants from the United States of America (USA) to the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Trump said the Guantanamo Bay detention facility would be transformed into a holding centre for undocumented immigrants.

US to transfer undocumented immigrants to Guantanamo
Donald President orders the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to start preparing the prison. Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP
Source: Getty Images

According to Al Jazeera, the returning American president made the announcement after signing his first major piece of legislation, the Laken Riley Acton Wednesday, January 30, 2025.

The Trump administration is using the Laken Riley Act to expel as many undocumented individuals as possible.

Speaking to an audience at the White House about the act, Trump said:

“Today, I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay. Most people don’t even know about it,”

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Tinubu’s govt takes action as Trump plans to deport Nigerians from US

Guantanamo Bay Prison

The detention facility opened in 2002 as a holding facility for suspects swept up in the US’s so-called “war on terror”, and many detainees were held for years without a trial.

The immediate past President Joe Biden had recently transferred prisoners to other countries, leaving only 15 detainees in the facility.

The facility, which marked its 23rd anniversary earlier this month was slated to be closed under President Barack Obama.

But Donald Trump, during his first term in 2018, signed an executive order to keep Guantanamo Bay open for the foreseeable future.

It was gathered that the Republican president has long sought to expand US use of the facility, including through the transfer of new detainees.

Legit.ng had reported that Trump confirmed his plan to embark on mass deportations of migrants without legal permission.

The 78-year-old Trump said he would declare a national emergency and use the military for mass deportations.

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Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation program in American history as soon as he assumed office.

FG takes action as Trump plans to deport Nigerians

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government said it is ready to welcome deported Nigerians from the United States of America (USA).

Tinubu's administration had already set up an inter-agency committee should Nigerians be deported by President Trump from the US.

The Director of Media and Corporate Affairs of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, made this known during an interview

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Adekunle Dada avatar

Adekunle Dada (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Adekunle Dada is a trained journalist with over 7 years of working experience. He is also a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a B.Sc. in Mass Communication From Lagos State University, Ojo. Adekunle previously worked at PM News, The Sun, and Within Nigeria where he expressed his journalistic skills with well-researched articles and features. In 2024, Adekunle obtained a certificate in advanced digital reporting from the Google News Initiative. He can be reached via adekunle.dada@corp.legit.ng.