Last week media reports surfaced that senior officials within the Bush Administration were coming to a consensus to close detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay and transfer remaining detainees to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Such a move reflects the growing sentiment within the Administration that Guantanamo Bay serves as a blight on our international reputation and has hurt the larger fight in the global war on terror. Since those reports, however, the Administration has reiterated that it has no plans to change its current Guantanamo policy.
It is time for Congress to make a clear statement that the ongoing detention of detainees at Guantanamo Bay is unacceptable. The House recently included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1585) a provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Congress should continue to urge the President to find an alternative to Guantanamo Bay.
Below is a letter I am circulating among my colleagues in the House. I encourage you to contact your representative and ask them to sign onto the following letter:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500Dear Mr. President:
Recent reports in the media have suggested that your administration is now considering reversing its position to keep open the detention facilities at Joint Task Force-Gutantanamo (JTF-GTMO). If accurate, we applaud the decision.
Since the time that captured "enemy combatants" were first brought to Guantanamo Bay in 2002, the detainment facility has undermined America's image as the model of justice and protector of human rights around the world. Holding prisoners for an indefinite period of time, without charging them with a crime goes against our values, ideals and principles as a nation governed by the rule of law. Further, Guantanamo Bay has a become a liability in the broader global war on terror, as allegations of torture, the indefinite detention of innocent men, and international objections to the treatment of enemy combatants has hurt our credibility as the beacon for freedom and justice. Its continued operation also threatens the safety of U.S. citizens and military personnel detained abroad.
The House-passed National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1585) included a provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay. United States military barracks, such as the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth have the capability to provide for the secure detainment of foreign nationals while ensuring the safety of communities within their proximate geographic location. Further, the military locations afford on-site access to military courtrooms for the timely adjudication of all legal proceedings.
We feel that it is also necessary to restore the right of habeas corpus to the detainees. This will allow for the implementation of fair and transparent trials to bring enemies of our country to justice. The closure of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, however, represents a positive first step toward restoring our international reputation as the leader of democracy and individual rights.
The global war on terror cannot be won through military might alone. It is a war of ideas and philosophies. A liability of our own creation, the existence of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay is defeating our effort to ensure that the principles of freedom, justice and human rights are spread throughout the world.
We look forward to working with you on what we hope is a shared objective to close the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
Respectfully,