Defense Secretary Hegseth: U.S. Can Send Well Over 30,000 Illegal Aliens To Guantanamo Bay

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during an interview this week that the U.S. military can increase its capacity to hold illegal aliens at Guantanamo Bay well beyond the 30,000 beds they currently have ready for the job.

Hegseth made the remarks during a Fox News interview after Trump announced on Wednesday afternoon that the U.S. would be sending up to 30,000 illegal aliens to the base on Cuba.

“We absolutely can and can increase it rapidly,” Hegseth said. “I served there, I know the places where this would happen. Guantanamo has long been a place for migrants. In fact, in the 90s, tens of thousands of Haitian and Cuban migrants staged their as part of a crisis.”

“We have an even bigger crisis on our hands right now,” he continued. “It was mentioned, 7,500 violent illegals have been captured by ICE in the last nine days. God bless them, where you move them? I tell you what, know one is going to be waiting on the Defense Department.”

He said that the U.S. military would continue to “lean forward and make sure we stay on the border to protect it and that we have great tales which are known as military aircraft to help mass deportations to Guantanamo Bay.”

“We don’t want illegal criminals in the United States, not a minute longer than they have to be,” he added. “Move them off to Guantanamo Bay where they can be safely maintained until they are deported to their final location, their country of origin where they are headed. So we feel great about this plan, we know we can execute it. And the Defense Department is prepared to do everything we can. We applaud DHS and ICE what they’ve done, and we’re going to protect the American people.”

WATCH:

Newly minted Defense Secretary, @PeteHegseth, joins Primetime. pic.twitter.com/UEBzYOWeUN

— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) January 30, 2025