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Transfers Could Reduce Gitmo Detainees to 90
The Obama administration appears to be on the cusp of the largest round of transfers of Guantánamo Bay detainees in a single month since 2007, a move that could reduce the detainee population there to as low as 90 by mid- to late January, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations.Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has notified Congress in recent days that he has approved 17 proposed transfers of lower-level detainees, said the officials. Congress has required Mr. Carter to certify that security standards have been met at least 30 days before any transfers. In recent weeks, President Obama has twice stated that his goal is to reduce the number of detainees at Guantánamo Bay prison to the double digits from 107 by the end of this year. President Obama wants to close the Guantánamo prison in Cuba before he leaves office in a little over a year. His administration has stepped up efforts to find countries to take 48 detainees on a transfer list and moved to speed up the work of a parole-like board that might approve the release of others who are currently recommended for indefinite detention. The Republican-led Congress, however, has shown little interest in lifting a ban on bringing any detainees to a prison inside the United States, which is Mr. Obama’s plan for those who are either facing trial or are deemed too dangerous to release. Posted by: Steve White 2015-12-18 |
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