US President, Barack ObamaPRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday unveiled his long-anticipated proposal to close the United States (U.S.) detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, saying it undermines national security and is contrary to American values. Congress has imposed restrictions that now prevent the transfer of detainees to the United States.
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Clinton’s statement didn’t respond to Sanders, but touted her own history of pushing to close the facility.
The Obama administration’s plan would move detainees eligible for transfer to other countries.
“The detention center at Guantanamo Bay is a state-of-the-art facility that is well-equipped to handle the world’s most risky terrorists”.
Ryan told reporters that lawmakers have the votes to block Obama’s plan in Congress and enough votes to override any veto.
“Today’s proposal only signals that the president may be willing to once again circumvent Congress and ignore the very law he approved in order to fulfill his campaign promises”, Gardner said in a statement.
Congress has an opportunity to close the detention facility in a way that maintains USA national security, saves taxpayer money, eliminates a terrorist propaganda tool, and strengthens US relations with allies, Cook said at a Pentagon news conference. According to then Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld the prison camp was established “to detain extraordinarily risky people, to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting, and to prosecute detainees for war crimes”. “It reflects the lessons we’ve learned since 9/11 – lessons that must guide our nation going forward”.
Obama said politics has complicated an issue which once had bipartisan agreement.
“I don’t want to pass this problem onto the next president, whoever it is”, Mr Obama said.
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There are now 35 detainees eligible for transfer and the plan calls for an accelerated review of remaining detainees to determine whether they pose a threat – and, if not, if they should be eligible for transfer. But part of my message to the American people here is we’re already holding a bunch of really risky terrorists here in the United States, because we threw the book at them and there have been no incidents. We will close guantanamo.
