WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today in introducing a resolution formally rejecting President Obama’s plan to transfer detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities to an alternate location in American communities, which is prohibited by law.

“This resolution once again reiterates Congress’ strong opposition to the administration’s plan to move detainees to Kansas or anywhere in the United States,” Sen. Moran said. “The president should focus his efforts on the serious national security threats we face across the globe instead of wasting energy to fulfill a campaign promise that his own administration has confirmed is illegal.”

The resolution states that the Senate:

• Rejects the “Plan to Closing Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility” presented by the President on February 23, 2016, to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer or release of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States homeland, in contravention of current United States law that explicitly prohibits such transfers;
• Finds that Guantanamo Bay detention facility is the optimal location to house dangerous foreign enemy combatants;
• Asserts that any potential transfer or release of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the U.S. homeland represents a threat to United States national security due to the risk of providing law of war detainees with rights and protections under the United States Constitution, including the potential for release into the United States, and particularly, a threat to the safety and security of local communities in the States of Kansas, Colorado, and South Carolina; and
• Demands that the President immediately abandon any ill-conceived and illegal plans to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States homeland without explicit authorization from the United States Congress.

The full text of the resolution is available here.

Sites in Kansas, South Carolina and Colorado have been surveyed as potential replacements for Guantanamo.

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