President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is signing an executive order directing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare Guantanamo Bay to house up to 30,000 migrants as part of his mass deportation initiative.

“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,” Trump stated while signing the Laken Riley Act, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.

The president emphasized that the facility will be used to detain migrants who have committed crimes, describing them as a significant threat to public safety.

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“Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” Trump said. “We’re going to send them to Guantanamo. It’s a tough place to get out of.”

Trump framed the move as a step toward fulfilling his campaign promise to curb illegal immigration. He also urged Congress to fully fund border security measures and deportations. “This brings us one step closer to eradicating the scourge of migrant crime in our communities once and for all,” he added.

Since taking office for his second term, Trump has signed multiple executive orders targeting illegal immigration, including sealing the U.S. asylum system for undocumented migrants and tasking the military with assisting in deportations. The Department of Homeland Security recently reported over 7,300 removals in the past week, with ICE apprehending nearly 1,000 individuals in a single day, many of whom have prior convictions or alleged ties to gangs and terrorist organizations.

Legal and human rights groups are expected to challenge Trump’s order, arguing that detaining migrants at Guantanamo raises ethical and legal concerns.