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WASHINGTON - Today, President Obama issued an executive order for the full closure of the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This action has been anticipated since Obama’s inauguration and follows his orders, just hours after taking office yesterday, to halt the military trials of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo. In response to the President’s announcement, Congressman Henry E. Brown (R-SC) made the following statement:
“Today’s announcement did not come as a surprise to me as President Obama has mentioned the closing of Guantanamo Bay as one of his top priorities once he entered office. However, I continue to feel that, while this executive order officially closes the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, it is essential that these individuals, some of the most dangerous terrorists captured during the War on Terror, only be moved after a full evaluation of all available and appropriate locations.
In addition to ensuring that a proper and secure location is selected, Congress should have the final say as to where these most dangerous detainees are held if they move to the US, not the Washington bureaucrats. After all, the members of Congress are the ones who will potentially be moving the most dangerous residents of Guantanamo into their own backyards.
I look forward to working with President Obama and my colleagues in Congress to ensure that all of the necessary considerations are made before deciding where to transfer the Guantanamo detainees, however my first duty is to the people of South Carolina and the First District, and I must ensure that these extremely dangerous individuals don’t present an unnecessary threat to the Lowcountry.”
Currently, one of the possible sites for the detainee relocation is the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, South Carolina, a medium-security facility, focused on confining members of the United States Armed forces. Congressman Brown continues to reiterate that housing so many of these dangerous terrorists and supporters of terrorists in Charleston would be a horrible mistake. Not only is the brig within walking distance of sensitive military facilities like the Naval Weapons Station, SPAWAR, the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command and hubs of transportation like the Port of Charleston, but it is less than two miles away from surrounding civilian suburban neighborhoods.
To view a satellite image of the Brig in Charleston, visit: http://www.house.gov/htbin/blog_inc?BLOG,sc01_brown,blog,999,All,Item%20not%20found,ID=090122_2619,TEMPLATE=postingdetail.shtml
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