Obama announces plan to bring terrorists to U.S. soil

Today, the Obama administration announced its plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo), and to move the remaining prisoners, most of whom have been deemed too dangerous to release, to detention facilities on U.S. soil.

• Obama made closing the facility a centerpiece of his foreign policy platform during his primary fight against Hillary Clinton in 2008, and signed an executive order to do so on his first day in office.  Those plans were delayed when Senate Democrats blocked funding for the president’s plan in 2009.
• Polling has consistently showed opposition among voters to closing Gitmo.  A YouGov/Huffington Post survey from last year showed that only 27% of voters supported closing down the detention facility, and only just 25% approving of Obama’s handling of the issue.
• Under current law, the Obama administration is prohibited from moving Gitmo prisoners to U.S. soil.
• There are 91 remaining detainees being held at Gitmo. 35 are expected to be transferred out by summer, and the rest are awaiting trial or have been deemed too dangerous to release. Included in this group is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.
• Last year, the Director of National Intelligence reported that nearly 30% of Gitmo detainees released by the Obama administration had been either confirmed or suspected of returning to terrorist activities.

NRCC COMMENT: “Despite broad opposition by the American people to closing Gitmo and bringing dangerous terrorists to U.S. soil, President Obama is pressing on with his irresponsible plan. It’s clear that Obama’s plan is not about national security – it is about a lame duck president fulfilling a campaign promise made to his liberal base on his way out the door.” – Bob Salera, NRCC Spokesman

Background:

Democrats in Senate block money to close Guantanamo. “In an abrupt shift, Senate Democratic leaders said they would not provide the $80 million that President Obama requested to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” (David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times, 5/19/09)

Pentagon’s Guantanamo closing plan lays out costs, savings. “The plan, which will be delivered to Congress Tuesday, is the administration’s last-ditch effort to make good on President Barack Obama’s campaign vow to close Guantanamo and convince lawmakers to allow the Defense Department to move nearly 60 detainees to the U.S…There are currently 91 detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Of those, 35 are expected to be transferred out by this summer. The rest are either facing trial by military commission or have been determined to be too dangerous to release but are not facing charges.” (Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, 2/23/16)

Military Tells Congress It Can’t Send Gitmo Detainees to U.S. “Obama has transferred 151 detainees since 2009 to other countries, but since 2010 Congress has prohibited the transfer of detainees to U.S. territory. The remaining 91 detainees at Guantanamo include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was the mastermind of the 9/11 attack, and other top al Qaeda planners, like Abu Zubaydeh, who have been deemed by military leaders to be too dangerous to send to other countries.” (Eli Lake, Bloomberg View, 2/16/16)

Director of National Intelligence – Summary of the Reengagement of Detainees Formerly Held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

YouGov – Poll Results: Guantanamo Bay