Letter Requests Immediate Hold on Transferring Detainees, Evaluation of Review Board
U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today encouraged President Donald Trump to assess the future operations and detention of detainees held at the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO).
In the letter, Daines shared with President Trump a number of recommendations for the future of the detention facility as the president and Congress work to ensure the safety of the American people. They requested an immediate hold on transferring detainees approved for release by the Periodic Review Board (PRB) and the suspension of the PRB itself – which was established in 2011 to assess and determine the transfer of detainees – along with a full and judicious review of the PRB’s role and responsibilities.
“Congress has continuously opposed and prohibited the closure of GTMO as well as the transfer of GTMO detainees to U.S. soil since 2010 in response to the previous administration’s attempt to fulfill a campaign promise,” Daines wrote. “Despite the growing number of threats to our nation from terrorists around the globe, the Obama administration demonstrated a serious disregard for the safety of the American people and the will of Congress by dramatically reducing the number of detainees housed at GTMO to justify those remaining to be transferred to the U.S.”
The letter is signed by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
According to the Director of National Intelligence, the recidivism rate of those who have reengaged in terrorist or insurgent activities is more than 30 percent.
Click here to read the full letter.
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