Trump Orders Housing of Illegal Immigrant Criminals at Guantanamo Bay

President Donald Trump's executive order to send illegal immigrant criminals to Guantánamo Bay will have them sharing space with the last remaining prisoners at the infamous facility in Cuba.

Once the home of hundreds of prisoners, only 15 detainees remained before Trump ordered "criminal aliens" to be housed there, as well, as his administration ramps up its deportation efforts.

Trump signed a presidential memorandum and said he would direct federal officials to get facilities ready to receive criminal immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Border czar Tom Homan stated that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would run the facility.

The president has instructed the Pentagon to prepare the facility to house up to 30,000 "criminal illegal aliens" at the U.S. military base. Flights to the facility began this week, with 10 members of the violent Venezuelan gang arriving on Thursday.

Since 2002, roughly 780 detainees have been held at the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Fifteen are left.

Former President George W. Bush created the prison camp to hold terrorism suspects and "illegal enemy combatants" following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a Yemeni national, is facing capital charges before a military commission for alleged conspiracy to commit the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the Department of Defense (DoD). Following the attacks, al-Shibh allegedly worked within the organization to plan future Al-Qaeda operations, specifically using aircraft.

He was captured on Sept. 11, 2002, and was labeled as a "high-value detainee" due to his position within Al-Qaeda. In 2023, a judge ruled that al-Shibh was not mentally competent to face trial and removed him from the case. He is currently being held at Guantánamo and could face trial in the future.

Walid bin Attash, a Yemeni national, was a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden and a senior Al-Qaeda lieutenant, according to the DoD. He allegedly worked to case airlines for the intended Southeast Asia portion of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and was also accused of coordinating the attempted attacks on Heathrow Airport and the Karachi Plot.

Attash was captured in 2003 and identified as a detainee of "high intelligence value," as well as posing a high risk to the U.S. He is charged with conspiracy, attacking civilians, murder in violation of the law or war, terrorism, hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft, and intentionally causing serious bodily injury. Attash's case has been in the pre-trial phase since his arraignment in 2012.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi Arabian national, is facing capital charges before a military commission for his alleged involvement in organizing the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, killing 17 American sailors in Yemen, according to the DoD. Nashiri was captured in 2002 and was identified as a detainee of "high value."

During Nashiri's time in CIA custody at Guantánamo, he was subjected to various forms of torture, including waterboarding, mock execution, and extreme isolation, according to a 2014 report conducted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Nashiri was arraigned on charges of terrorism, murder in violation of the law of war, perfidy, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, conspiracy, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, and attacking civilians. His case has remained in the pre-trial phase since 2011.

Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali, a Pakistani national operating under the alias Ammar al-Baluchi, is facing capital charges before a military commission for alleged conspiracy to commit the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the DoD. Ali allegedly worked with high-level Al-Qaeda leaders to plan the Sept. 11 hijackers' travel to the U.S.

Ali was captured in 2003. His case remains in the pre-trial phase following his arraignment in 2012.

Encep Nurjaman, an Indonesian citizen operating under the alias Hambali, is facing charges for allegedly conspiring to orchestrate Jemaah Islamiyah's 2002 bombings in Indonesia, killing over 200 people, according to the National Counterterrorism Center. Nurjaman was captured in 2003 and was designated a "high-value detainee" upon arrival at Guantánamo in 2006.

Nurjaman is facing charges of conspiracy, murder, and terrorism, in addition to his alleged involvement in a second bombing at an Indonesian J.W. Marriott in 2003, according to the DoD. His case remains in the pre-trial phase, and a trial date has not been set.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani national, is facing capital charges before a military commission for alleged conspiracy to commit the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the DoD. Mohammed is the self-described architect of the terror attacks, orchestrating them "from A to Z."

Mohammed was captured in 2003 and detained at various black-site prisons operated by the CIA, where he was subjected to various forms of torture under the guise of interrogation. According to a 2014 report conducted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Mohammed "was subjected to the waterboard interrogation technique at least 183 times." Mohammed was relocated to Guantánamo Bay in 2006 while his case remains in the pre-trial phase.

Ali Hamza Ahmad Suliman al-Bahlul, a Yemeni national, is serving a life sentence at Guantánamo Bay after being convicted of three terrorism charges by a panel of military officials in 2008. He was captured in 2001 and was one of the first prisoners taken to Guantánamo on the day the prison opened.

Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, was sent to Guantánamo Bay in 2002. According to court documents, al-Hawsawi was a suspected Al-Qaeda operative and traveled to Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

The U.S. government alleged that al-Hawsawi helped research flight schools for the 9/11 terror attacks and financed bank accounts for the hijackers.

Mohammad Rahim, a citizen of Afghanistan, is held as a law-of-war detainee and was a senior aide in Al-Qaeda. He was the last detainee sent to the prison in recent years since the Obama and first Trump administrations did not send any additional individuals to Guantánamo Bay.

Mustafa Faraj Masud al-Jadid Mohammed, who went by Abu Faraj al-Libi, a citizen of Libya, is a senior member of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

He was captured in Mardan, Pakistan, in May 2005 following a joint effort by the CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).

He was held for about 460 days in an unknown location before he was transferred to Guantánamo Bay in September 2006. He is considered a "high-value detainee."

Muieen A. Deen Jamal-A Deen Abd al-Fusal Abd al-Sattar was born in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was captured by Pakistani forces near the border with Afghanistan in December 2001, turned over to U.S. custody, and sent to Guantánamo Bay in February 2002.

A detainee assessment labeled him as a "high risk" prisoner, noting that he was "likely to pose a threat to the U.S., its interests, and allies."

Ismail Ali Faraj Ali Bakush, according to court documents, was a Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFO) explosives expert who trained Al-Qaeda members.

He arrived at Guantánamo Bay in 2002. In 2022, he was cleared for release to a country other than his home country of Libya on the condition that he receive rehabilitation assistance.

Duran, 50, was arrested in Somalia in 2004 and determined by U.S. intelligence to be a senior member of the al-Itihaad al-Islamiya terrorist organization. After two years in CIA custody, he was transferred to Guantánamo in 2006.

He was the first "high-value detainee" cleared for release by the U.S. authorities in January 2022.

Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn was captured in 2002 in Pakistan. According to court documents, he was held for four years at CIA black sites, where he was waterboarded 83 times.

The Saudi-born Palestinian was a senior bin Laden lieutenant who played key roles in several Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, according to U.S. intelligence. He is still considered a national security threat.