When running for President, Barack Obama made a promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. As his second term nears its conclusion, his administration is still pushing for Gitmo’s closure.
In the same week that Cuba’s embassy reopened in Washington, the administration has said a drafting plan to close the prison is in its final stages.
BREAKING: Obama administration is in final stages of drafting plan to close prison at Guantanamo Bay: White House spokesman
— Reuters Politics (@ReutersPolitics) July 22, 2015
Located in an area of Cuba loaned to the United States in 1903, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp was founded in 2002. Before that, it had largely been used as a U.S. naval base and area to house refugees. Following 9/11, the U.S. administration decided it would hold prisoners suspected of terrorism there. Since then, it has become synonymous with torture and human rights violations.
And while Obama has regularly spoken about closing Guantanamo, Congress has opposed him on this issue.
There’s got to be a better way than to spend over $100-million a year operating a prison for 116 inmates, says @PressSec of Gitmo.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 22, 2015
While the administration seems adamant to push the issue, Senior Fellow with the National Security Team at the Center for American Progress Ken Gude doesn’t think Congress is ready to get on board.
“I wouldn’t have very high expectations for a specific plan…nor do I have any level of confidence over the reception of details of the plan for congress,” Gude told ThinkProgress.
Baffled by White House decision to raise expectations on formal plan to close #guantanamo.
— Ken Gude (@KenGude) July 22, 2015
There are currently 116 inmates left in Guantanamo Bay’s detention center. Should it shut down, it’s expected that most inmates would be transferred to their native countries. Those unable to return would be sent to other countries willing to accept prisoners. A few could also be detained in U.S. prisons.
Gude said that closing Guantanamo has become a partisan issue in Congress, with Republicans using the potential transfer of prisoners charged with terrorism to the U.S. as a way to criticize Democrats for being weak on the war on terror. It’s been this way since 2009 and it’s unlikely to change, he said.
When asked about the potential timing for this decision, Gude replied: “Senator [John] McCain [R-AZ] has been consistent [in] considering the plan and the administration might be trying to be responsive to his wishes.
“I’m always glad to see action by the administration in closing Guantanamo,” Gude said. “But I think a more fruitful avenue to pursue now is to press the Pentagon on the 52 already cleared detainees for transfer and establish a periodic review board process to look at other detainees to see if they can be transferred as well.”