Trump to Ship as Many Undocumented Migrants as Possible to Guantanamo, Holds 30K




 The US government will repurpose Guantánamo Bay to hold as many as 30,000 undocumented migrants after President Donald Trump said yesterday the facilities will be used as a holding center for high-priority migrants facing deportation with criminal backgrounds (read order).

 

Colloquially known as “Gitmo,” the naval base has operated on a small patch of southeast Cuba under an open-ended lease since 1903 (see history). The facilities became infamous during the war on terror for the indefinite detention of suspected enemy combatants—as of the beginning of the year, 15 people are still being held. Details of how the base will be used to process migrants or when the effort will begin were not specified.

 

In related news, the Trump administration rescinded a memo issued yesterday ordering a wide-ranging freeze in federal funding. The guidance reportedly created confusion over which of the thousands of programs were affected and raised legal questions regarding the executive branch's ability to intervene in congressionally directed spending.  

 

Separately, health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began confirmation hearings yesterday, facing questions about Medicaid and Medicare, past statements on vaccines, and more.

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