Three Republican senators blasted the Obama administration Monday for exploring plans to transfer terrorism detainees from Guantanamo Bay to potential sites in their states.
Sens. Pat Roberts of Kansas, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Cory Gardner of Colorado said the administration’s plan, expected to be announced this week, would bring dangerous enemy combatants into their communities and violate federal law.
“They will cause a security risk,” Mr. Roberts told reporters. “You immediately paint a bulls-eye on those communities.”
The senators said they would use all available tools, including placing holds on President Obama’s nominees, to block the transfer of terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Mr. Roberts already has placed a hold on Mr. Obama’s nominee for secretary of the Army.
The White House is expected to introduce a plan within a few days for transferring as many as 53 detainees to federal prisons on the mainland U.S. from the detention center in Cuba. Mr. Obama has been fighting Congress to close the Guantanamo Bay facility ever since he took office.
A White House spokesman said last week that Mr. Obama wouldn’t rule out using an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay facility if Congress doesn’t support the administration’s eventual plan. There are 112 detainees still being held at Gitmo.
The senators, in a conference call arranged by the Republican National Committee, also criticized Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton for supporting the transfer of detainees while she was secretary of State.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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