SinceĀ Donald TrumpĀ took over the White House as the 47th President of the United States, he has taken a tough approach to immigration.
Within weeks of his presidency, heĀ signed a slew of executive ordersĀ to āreclaim controlā of the States,Ā hiked up tariffs to neighbors,Ā Canada, Mexico and China to encourage their cooperation in halting illegal immigration and even threatened Colombia with similar sanctions for refusing to accept deportation flights which have been ramped up.
Deported migrants arriving in Honduras on January 31 under Trumpās orders (Emilio Flores/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Heās also been looking atĀ revoking student visas for foreign youngstersĀ and deporting them if they are found protesting againstĀ Israel, launching a new detention center for deportees in Colorado, and proposed another idea toĀ exile repeat criminal offendersĀ of any nationality, including the US, to far away lands in a āmodernā take on a penal colony.
Trumpās plans for Guantanamo Bay
As part of his plans, heās also been looking at expanding the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison which was opened by President George Bush in the wake of the 9/11Ā terroristĀ attack to send āillegal enemy combatantsā.
Now, Trump is hoping to send migrants to the notorious Cuba jail by signing the Laken Riley Act.
The prison is still home to some 15 terror suspects, including those behind the September 2001 attacks.
During his first term in Oval Office, Trump reversed aĀ Barack ObamaĀ administration order to keep the prison open in 2018, despite protests from human rights activists.
Under President Obama, more than 150 detainees were released but the former POTUS was slammed for failing to fully close the center.
An inmate pictured in the prison in 2009 (MICHELLE SHEPHARD/AFP via Getty Images)
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(John Moore/Getty Images)
āLiving hellā
Guantanamo Bay has been dubbed a ālegal black holeā,Ā reportsĀ The Mirror, where its prisoners endure a āliving hellā of abuse and torture.
The perimeter of the prison is surrounded by a minefield and plans reveal prisoners will either be kept in small detention centers or tents manned by soldiers and marines.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International branded the prison āa symbol of torture, rendition and indefinite detention without charge or trialā.
As well as human rights protesters, the United Nations also slammed the facility, calling it a āstain on the US Governmentās commitment to the rule of law.ā
Former prisoners that were released under Obamaās rule included aĀ BritishĀ father, Shaker Aamer, who said he was tortured, beaten and held in solitary confinement for 13 years in the prison where he was held without charge.
Peace activists called on Obama and Biden to close the camp (SelƧuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Obama pledged to close Guantanamo in 2016, saying it āunderminesā national security rather than strengthening it.
Before signing the Laken Riley Act, which makes the expansion of Guantanamo Bay vision a reality, Trump previously said: āWe have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.
āSome of them are so bad we donāt even trust the countries to hold them because we donāt want them coming back.
āSo weāre going to send them out to Guantanamo Bay. This will double our capacity immediately, and tough. Thatās a tough ā thatās a tough place to get out of.ā