Donald Trump announced plans to sign an executive order directing the federal government to prepare the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to detain up to 30,000 migrants. He claimed the base already has the capacity to house ‘the worst criminal illegal aliens‘ and that this move would double detention capacity. This coincided with signing an act which mandates detention for undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes. The bill, Trump’s first major legislative victory in his second term, had passed Congress with bipartisan support. Guantanamo Bay has historically been used for detaining terrorism suspects and temporarily processing migrants. However, an official has denied that 30,000 beds are available, and said that the base lacks infrastructure for such a large influx. Meanwhile, the White House has rescinded a total funding freeze announced on 27 January, which had caused huge confusion. For an analysis of this decision, see