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Obama Gives Congress Plan to Close Guantánamo

HeadlineFeb 24, 2016

President Obama has submitted a plan to Congress to close Guantánamo Bay military prison. Despite Obama’s pledge to close the facility as one of his first acts after taking office in 2009, there are still 91 prisoners there, 35 of whom have been cleared for release. Obama wants to transfer all prisoners to their home countries or to U.S. military or civilian prisons. In an address Tuesday, Obama said Guantánamo must close.

President Barack Obama: “For many years, it’s been clear that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay does not advance our national security. It undermines it. This is not just my opinion. This is the opinion of experts. This is the opinion of many in our military. It’s counterproductive to our fight against terrorists, because they use it as propaganda in their efforts to recruit.”

We’ll have more on the president’s plan to close Guantánamo—and Republican plans to block him—after headlines.

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