Trump wants to send illegal immigrants to Guantanamo

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to expand the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to hold "highly significant foreign criminals" who are in the country illegally. He said the facility could hold up to 30,000 immigrants.

The Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security should allocate additional detention facilities for illegal immigrants at Guantanamo.

"We have 30,000 places to hold the most dangerous illegal criminals who pose a threat to the American people. We don't believe in returning them to their countries, so we're going to send them to Guantanamo," Trump explained.

The measure also doubles the ability of US authorities to detain illegal immigrants.

The Guantanamo Bay detention center is separate from the maximum-security U.S. military prison, which was used primarily for Haitians and Cubans captured at sea.

Trump also signed the Laken Riley Act, which gives law enforcement agencies broader authority to detain illegal immigrants suspected of theft and violent crimes in the United States.

Rights activists have condemned Trump's decision to use the Guantanamo Bay base as a detention center for immigrants.

Former President Barack Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay, but that did not happen.

Trump's decision shows that immigration policy in the United States has become more stringent.