WASHINGTON, 30 JAN

US President Donald Trump has signed his first piece of legislation into law that permits the pre-trial detention of illegal migrants accused of theft, burglary or shoplifting.

The Laken Riley Immigration Act had earlier won bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. It is Trump's first piece of legislation since he took office on 20 January.

“Under the law I'm signing today, the Department of Homeland Security will be required to detain all illegal aliens who have been arrested for theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting, assaulting a police officer murder, or any crime that results in death or serious injury,” Trump said on Wednesday.

“In addition, for the first time ever, this Act gives state governments the ability to sue the federal government for immediate injunctive relief if any future administration ever again refuses to enforce the immigration laws of the United States like happened for four long years,” Trump said.

Detention at Guantanamo

On Wednesday, Trump also signed a presidential memorandum to set up a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay to detain "high-priority criminal aliens." The facility, which has so far been used to hold terrorists, will now also house illegal immigrants with criminal records.

The signing took place on Wednesday, with Trump directing the Departments of Defence and Homeland Security to prepare the facility. PTI