A new defense bill expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives later this month revitalized calls from Democrats to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.
Congressional Republicans claimed the move was a doomed endeavor. The defense bill, advanced to the House floor by the House Appropriations Committee, is not expected to pass the Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority.
AFGHAN NATIONAL HELD IN GUANTANAMO BAY FOR 15 YEARS RELEASED
“They have such slim majorities right now. It’s difficult for them to do anything,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Hill. “So getting something that controversial done is just, as a practical matter, not going to happen.”
However, Democrats who support the effort argued the taxpayer funds allocated for the facility should go to something more beneficial in national security rather than keeping the doors open on something presidents from both parties have agreed should close.
“We should’ve closed it years ago,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I agreed with President Bush on that. I agreed with President Obama. I would vote for anything to close Guantanamo Bay. [But] you have to have the votes. And we’ve tried before, and they haven’t been able to get it.”
The prison facility at Guantanamo Bay was established in 2002 under then-President George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Since then, 800 people have been detained in the detention center, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Three dozen prisoners remain, with 19 eligible for transfer, five eligible for a periodic review board, nine involved in the military commissions process, and three convicted in military commissions.
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The Department of Defense announced the latest transfer of a Guantanamo detainee last month, stating that Asadullah Haroon Afghani, a man suspected of being a commander in the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin militant group in Afghanistan, was transferred back to Afghanistan. Afghani was also suspected of being a courier for an al Qaeda commander, which he has denied.
“The Biden administration remains dedicated to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo facility,” a National Security Council spokesperson told the outlet. “We have reviewed the status of everyone who is eligible for [a Periodic Review Board] and are actively working to transfer everyone deemed eligible for transfer.”
