Missouri’s candidates for a U.S. Senate seat are criticizing the president’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Advertisement
President Obama avoided mention of worldwide legal concerns in transferring Guantanamo detainees, but he did sound a note of agreement with Zeid in acknowledging the facility’s role in damaging America’s republication.
Rep. Mia Love also noted that Congress has specifically passed legislation to stop the detainees from being moved to American soil and also clearly asked Obama to produce a “clear and robust plan to defeat ISIS”, referring to the terrorist group in the Middle East.
But congressional Republicans have ignored these facts and blocked every attempt to close Guantanamo.
Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said Obama had yet to convince Americans that moving the prisoners to the United States was smart or safe.
“He can’t do it because the law is really clear”, Ryan said.
“Transferring detainees to the U.S.is illegal, and it’s rejected by Coloradans, top Colorado law enforcement officials, and Americans across the country”, said Gardner on Tuesday in a statement.
“I think we all understand that President Obama wants to show the terrorists that we are an understanding nation with appropriate sensitivities, but to take such action would gift-wrap a propaganda triumph for Muslim extremists in their relentless drive to wipe out western civilization”. The White House described it as more of a conversation starter than a definitive outline. Pressing his case now thrust the issue into the 2016 presidential campaign.
The detention center costs $445 million to run annually. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, reserved judgment, though he said he favors closing the prison. The U.S. facilities would cost between $265 million and $305 million to operate each year, according to the proposal.
The senator advocates keeping the detention facility open, citing as a reason the 30 percent recidivism rate among released Guantanamo detainees, and because “there is no longer any complaint as to [their] treatment”.
His national security team has identified 13 possible locations, including existing federal prisons and current military bases.
Naming a site would have certainly further antagonized some members of Congress. Those representing South Carolina, Kansas and Colorado already have voiced opposition to housing the detainees in their states.
Opponents, however, say changing the detention center’s ZIP code won’t eliminate that problem.
Advertisement
“This is about closing a chapter in our history”, Obama said Tuesday.
