Trump signing Lake Riley Act  Source: x.com
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Trump signs Laken Riley Act, plans Guantanamo facility

Plans 30,000-bed Guantanamo facility

Anukkriti Tomar

On Wednesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, which would require pre-trial detention for undocumented immigrants charged with shoplifting, theft, or burglary. The Hill reports.

With the House clearing the bill in a 263-156 vote -- including 46 Democrats -- and the Senate approving the measure in a bipartisan 64-35 vote, this bill is actually the first legislative victory for Trump.

Trump thanked the Republicans who supported the bill and recognized the Democrats who had crossed party lines to vote for it. He also warned those who opposed it, saying, "They are going to be sorry."

Besides signing the bill, Trump announced plans to sign an executive order directing the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to prepare a 30,000-bed migrant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

The Guantanamo Bay facility, which holds military prisoners who are alleged to have played a part in the 9/11 attacks, has long been surrounded by allegations of detainee abuse. The Biden administration had been reducing its use and has confined only 15 detainees at the facility, The Hill reported.

"We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people," Trump said. "Some of them are so bad that we don't even trust their home countries to hold them. So, we're going to send them to Guantanamo. It's a tough place to get out of."

This is the latest step in a broader push by Trump to tighten immigration policies and increase deportations within the U.S.