Trump orders migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to ease US-Mexico border crisis

In another effort to ease the US-Mexico border crisis, President Donald Trump has announced that he is going to direct the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to start preparations for a 30,000-person migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

This order has expanded the role of the US military in handling migrant detentions. Situated in Cuba, Guantanamo Bay already has a migrant facility. Historically, it has been used to detain migrants caught at sea.

But Trump’s recent order is going to increase the capacity at the base. During his address, the President highlighted that the facility is expected to double the US’s capacity to manage illegal immigration and ensure security.

Reuters recently reported that only 15 detainees are residing in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility at present. It had been built in 2002 under President George Bush to hold foreign military suspects after the September 11 attacks.