The Defense Department expects to present a plan to close Guantanamo Bay to lawmakers after the August recess, a spokesman said on Monday.
Capt. Jeff Davis said the plan to close the military detention center is “close to completion” and that lawmakers can expect a briefing on it when Congress returns to D.C. after Labor Day.
Among other issues, the Pentagon must address whether detainees would gain any legal rights if they are transferred to a maximum security prison in the U.S.
Of the 116 men left at Guantanamo Bay, 52 have been cleared for transfer, said Scott Roehm, senior counsel at the Constitution Project. The administration must work out a transfer plan, including a country to take the detainee and any conditions on his release, for each prisoner.
Roehm said the “vast majority” of the 52 have been cleared for transfer since 2010 and should have already left the prison.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter reportedly has been slow to sign off on transfers for these cleared detainees, sparking conflict with the White House, according to an article from The Daily Beast.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is an advocate of closing the military prison, but has said he’s been waiting for a plan from the administration on how to close it for more than five years.
The Senate version of this year’s defense authorization bill offers the president a path to make good on his campaign promise to close the prison. McCain said having a concrete plan for closing the prison would make it easier for him to negotiate closure with the House.
