President Obama is exploring executive action to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move that would stoke an even larger fight with congressional Republicans over the scope of his presidential powers.
Obama is mulling options for bringing Guantanamo detainees to U.S. soil, despite a congressional ban of such a practice, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Obama’s inability to close the prison facility in Cuba is arguably his greatest unmet promise since taking office in 2008.
However, with Obama also set to announce executive action on immigration reform after the November midterm elections, the move to shutter Gitmo could give Republicans ammunition to suggest he is overstepping his constitutional authority.
The president could potentially veto the annual defense spending bill or attach a signing statement to the legislation labeling restrictions on prisoner transfers as unconstitutional.
The administration has moved to send more Guantanamo inmates back to their home countries, but 149 people remain in the detention facility.
Already this year, the Obama administration negotiated the trade of five Guantanamo inmates for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, which enraged conservatives on Capitol Hill.
