President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an order for the US to prepare to hold tens of thousands of the “worst criminal illegal aliens” at Guantanamo Bay.
The notorious US naval base in Cuba is best known for its high-security prison that houses terrorism suspects, including men accused of planning the September 11, 2001, attacks, but it also has a centre that holds migrants.
"Most people don't even know, but we have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people," Mr Trump said. "So we're going to send them down to Guantanamo."
Guantanamo's Migrant Operations Centre holds those detained at sea, many from Haiti and Cuba. Often they are caught in legal limbo, as Guantanamo operates outside of US federal law.
Mr Trump's border chief Tom Homan said the administration would expand the existing centre at Guantanamo and that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency would run it. He said the centre would hold the "worst of the worst". It was not immediately clear if those people were already in federal prison.
In a memo, Mr Trump directed the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to "take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Centre at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States".
Mr Trump's comments came as he signed a bill that reinforced his promise to make cracking down on illegal immigration the centre of his administration's goals.
Surrounded by dozens of guests, Mr Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, which allows authorities to detain and possibly deport undocumented immigrants who have been accused – but not convicted – of theft and violent crimes.
It was the first piece of legislation Mr Trump signed since he took office on January 20.
The law is named after a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed in Georgia while out on a run in February 2024. Antonio Ibarra, 26, an undocumented migrant from Venezuela, was found guilty of her murder in November and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
"She was always the best, she was respected by everybody, even her teachers – they respected her so much. From the time she was in first grade, Laken knew she wanted to spend her time caring for others," Mr Trump said.
The act also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government for harm caused by immigration policies, which could empower leaders of conservative states to set more anti-immigration rules.
Ibarra had entered the country in September 2022 and was cited for shoplifting, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not end up detaining him.
Mr Trump and other Republican leaders blame former president Joe Biden's lax immigration policies on the US-Mexico border for Ms Riley's death.
During his campaign, Mr Trump blamed the influx of migrants, mostly coming from Central and South America, for a rise in crime and lack of jobs. After taking office, he promised to launch "the largest deportation operation" in US history.
The Republican-controlled Congress passed the Laken Riley Act this month, with some support from Democratic politicians, despite criticism from immigrant rights advocates who say the policy will lead to the mass round-up of people accused of minor offences.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
