California Senator Dianne Feinstein released a report last week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office: Facilities and Factors for Consideration If Detainees Were Brought to the United States.  Senator Feinstein touted the report as proof that the U.S. could handle the detainees if the U.S. were to close military detention facilities at its Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

“Since 2002, the United States has operated detention facilities in Guantánamo Bay to hold individuals detained during overseas counterterrorism operations. In 2009 the President directed the closure of these facilities within 1 year,” says the report. “Since then, a number of statutes have prohibited the transfer of Guantánamo Bay detainees to the United States. GAO was asked to review existing U.S. facilities and identify factors to be considered in the event that restrictions were lifted and Guantánamo Bay detainees were transferred to the United States.”

The GAO report lists six correctional facilities operated by the Department of Defense, including Naval Consolidated Brig Chesapeake, which are equipped to confine prisoners for more than one year.

Since 2009, Congressman Forbes has introduced and sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to prevent the transfer of detainees to Virginia and the rest of the United States. Congressman Forbes introduced legislation, H.R. 1638, to prohibit the use of federal funds to transfer detainees to locations in Virginia. Mr. Forbes was also a cosponsor of H.R. 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act and H.R. 1186, which prohibited the use of funds to transfer individuals detained Guantanamo Bay to facilities in Virginia. All these provisions were incorporated into the last three National Defense Authorization Acts and passed as law.

Find the results of last week's instaPoll here.

Find out the results of my instapoll about the “Fiscal Cliff” here.


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