President Donald Trump hands a pen to Allyson Phillips, mother of Laken Riley, after signing the Laken Riley Act in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday in Washington. (Evan Vucci / AP)
By Randy DeSoto January 29, 2025 at 6:06pm
President Donald Trump announced plans Monday to use the American military installation at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house the “worst” criminal illegal aliens.
At a bill-signing ceremony at the White House for the Laken Riley Act, Trump said, “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. Most people don’t even know about it.”
He continued, saying the facility will be used “to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
“Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust the countries to hold them, because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo,” Trump said.
“That’s a tough place to get out of,” he noted.
Trump concluded, “Today’s signings bring us one step closer to eradicating the scourge of migrant crime in our communities, once and for all. “
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. Most people don’t even know about it.” pic.twitter.com/su3eu24J1Z
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 29, 2025
The Laken Riley Act is the first legislation that Trump signed into law since returning to office.
Do you support Trump’s Guantanamo plan?
The bill had bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.
The new law requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants charged with or arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
The bill is named for the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant while out for a jog in Athens in February 2024.
Venezuelan Jose Ibarra, who was convicted in November of murdering Riley, had previously been cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department, but ICE was not informed.
Members of Riley’s family, including her mother Allyson Phillips, attended the bill signing ceremony.
Watch President Trump’s very personal reaction to Laken Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, as she describes through tears her daughter Laken who was tragically killed at the hands of an illegal from Venezuela who never should have been here. May God bless her memory. pic.twitter.com/xDq08LGjiV
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 29, 2025
Phillips became emotional as she thanked Trump for being a man of his word regarding securing the border and not forgetting about her daughter.
Trump appeared very moved by her words and the pain she still clearly felt at the loss of her daughter.
“Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because without his sacrifices, Laken’s story would have ended on that horrific day that she was taken from us,” Phillips said.
“But because of him, we can continue living, knowing we will see Laken again.”
Randy DeSoto has written more than 3,000 articles for The Western Journal since he began with the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book “We Hold These Truths” and screenwriter of the political documentary “I Want Your Money.”
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean’s list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith
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