Pete Hegseth confirms 'worst of the worst' criminal migrants will be sent to Guantanamo Bay

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the "worst of the worst" transgression migrants volition beryllium temporarily housed astatine Guantanamo Bay detention campy and that "all options volition beryllium connected the table" for subject enactment against the cartels, successful an interrogation with "Fox and Friends" connected Friday.

This confirmation comes connected the heels of an announcement made by President Donald Trump connected Wednesday that helium volition beryllium instructing the Pentagon to hole Guantanamo Bay to detain 30,000 "criminal amerciable aliens."

"Today I'm besides signing an enforcement bid to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to statesman preparing the 30,000-person migrant installation astatine Guantanamo Bay," Trump said. "Most radical don't adjacent cognize astir it."

It was aboriginal learned that Trump signed a statesmanlike memorandum, not an enforcement order, connected the matter.

TRUMP MOVES TO PREPARE GUANTANAMO BAY FOR 30,000 'CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS'

Deserted defender operation wrong Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Camp Delta astatine the U.S. Naval Base successful Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, successful 2016. (Reuters)

"Guantanamo Bay is simply a cleanable transit constituent to temporarily location the worst of the worst until we determination them backmost to their location countries, who, arsenic President Trump has made it precise clear, amended beryllium prepared to instrumentality them robustly and soon," Hegseth told "Fox and Friends," adding, "Because they sent them here, sent criminals, opened their jails. It affected our people. The president is reversing that. Guantanamo Bay volition beryllium a portion of that."

When asked by Fox News' Brian Kilmeade whether helium would usage the U.S. subject to combat the cartels, 2 of which person precocious been designated arsenic violent groups by the U.S., Hegseth replied, "I don't privation to get up of the president and I won't, but that's yet going to beryllium his decision. But fto maine beryllium clear. All options volition beryllium connected the array if we're dealing with what are designated to beryllium overseas violent organizations who are specifically targeting Americans connected our border. And we're yet securing our border."

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS 969 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS IN ONE DAY: 'HERE ARE SOME OF THE WORST'

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released this representation Friday, penning connected X that "deportation flights person begun." ICE migration raids person been taking spot each crossed the state since Trump has been sworn successful connected Jan. 20. (White House)

In the past week, the Department of Homeland Security said that "law enforcement officials person removed and returned 7,300 amerciable aliens."

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Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.