On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum declaring the preparation of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house 30,000 migrants.
The Memorandum
According to the memorandum, Trump aims to “direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity”. The memorandum says the goal is to address “immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.”
A Memorandum vs. an Executive Order?
Memorandum and executive orders are similar, though the details and their rollout is what sets them apart. Memorandum can instruct agencies and parts of the government but also interpret existing laws. Memorandums are much less formal and do not appear in the federal register like executive orders.
History of Guantanamo Bay

Cuba and the United States signed the lease for the Naval Base in 1903. In 2002, Guantanamo Bay imprisoned suspected members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. International prisoners were not allowed to challenge their detention in federal courts until 2008, with the overturning of Boumediene v. Bush. Regardless of the overturning, authorities still detained foreign prisoners after clearing them for transfer or in their country.
Since its opening, organizations have come out in opposition to the camp. Claims of torture and dehumanization run back to 2004 when Red Cross inspectors issued a leaked report, through the New York Times. The report claims the camp used “humiliating acts, solitary confinement, temperature extremes, and use of forced positions” on prisoners. Released prisoners have given testimonies regarding their treatment at the camp that back the Red Cross claims.
Joe Biden vowed to close the camp and failed.
Trump’s Future
Trump proposed housing for “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
Guantanamo Bay currently holds 15 prisoners.
To go with this, The Pentagon is preparing to deploy at least 1000 active duty members to help with Trump’s efforts to fight illegal immigration on this southern border and to Guantanamo Bay.
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding the memorandum, stating “Cuba rejects the decision announced by the President of the United States to use the Guantanamo Naval Base to imprison tens of thousands of migrants he has proposed to forcibly expel.” The statement further discusses the human rights allegations against the camp, saying, “It demonstrates the brutality of that government’s actions to supposedly correct problems its economic and social conditions, management, and foreign policy have created, including hostility towards countries of origin.”
A Gallup survey shows that 68 percent of Americans believe that out of all issues, President Trump will fix illegal immigration above all other matters.
In contrast, Americans believe that most likely not “heal political decisions in this country”.
The specifics of how this memorandum will rollout are unclear.
Trump also made it clear that “this is a temporary transit … where we can plus-up thousands and tens of thousands, if necessary, to humanely move illegals out of our country, where they do not belong, back to the countries where they came from in a proper process.”