Republican senators put forward legislation on Monday that would permanently prohibit the transfer of remaining Guantanamo Bay detainees to “unstable” countries, on the same day the Obama administration announced two new transfers to Senegal.
The bill from Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and five other GOP senators is aimed at preventing detainees from being released to countries that are likely to be less effective at preventing the prisoners from returning to terrorism.
Kirk said it’s also a response to Secretary of State John Kerry, who Republicans say gave a disappointing answer on why so many former detainees are returning to the fight.
“When asked why terrorists like al Qosi were allowed to reengage in terror against America after being transferred to Sudan, a state-sponsor of terror, Secretary of State John Kerry’s only answer was that ‘he’s not supposed to be doing that,'” Kirk said Monday.
“Allowing the transfer of these dangerous criminals to terror hotspots only makes it easier for them to re-join in the fight against America,” Kirk added. “As the administration moves forward with plans to close the Guantanamo Bay facility, we have to stop those who seek to engage in terrorism from ever getting the chance.”
Kirk said current law already prohibits detainees from being moved to Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Syria. But he said his bill would add Iran and Sudan to the list of prohibited countries.
Kirk said the bill is needed because the Defense Department has admitted that about 30 percent of detainees released from the naval base in Cuba return to the fight against Americans.
The Obama administration has been releasing Guantanamo Bay detainees at a steady clip in the hopes of obviating the need for the detention center, which Obama wants to shut down. With Monday’s release, there are 89 prisoners left.
“Last month, the administration released as many as 17 detainees from Guantanamo Bay,” Kirk’s office said. “In 2015, the Obama administration quietly announced the release or transfer of 20 detainees, and fewer than 100 prisoners are now left at the facility.”
Co-sponsors of Kirk’s bill are Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Cory Gardner, R-Colo., James Lankford, R-Okla., James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan.
