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Hudson Votes to Keep Terrorists at Gitmo

September 15, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2016
Hudson Votes to Keep Terrorists at Gitmo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5351, a bill based on his legislation to prohibit the administration from transferring any detainees out of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay:
“We are at war with radical Islamic extremists, yet our commander-in-chief is so focused on closing Guantanamo Bay that he ignores the danger represented by the terrorists detained thereincluding key architects of the September 11th attacks. We don’t want these hardened terrorists detained in our backyard or sent back to the battlefield to wage war against us. I’ll continue to fight the closing of Gitmo and put the safety and security of the American people first.”
The House passed H.R. 5351 to prohibit the Defense Department from transferring or releasing any detainee from Gitmo into the United States, its territories or possessions, or to any foreign country or entity. The blanket prohibition would end on January 1, 2017, or earlier once the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2017which could include Rep. Hudson’s language restricting the release or transfer of Gitmo prisonersis enacted.
Rep. Hudson’s amendmentwhich would be the strictest prohibition of transfers yet(link is external)was adopted by voice vote in June to the House-passed defense spending bill. The Senate has yet to pass a defense spending bill. To watch Rep. Hudson’s remarks in support of his amendment, or read the transcripts, click here.
According to reports(link is external), two more militants released from Gitmo have returned to fighting, the U.S. government said on Wednesday. Last month, the Obama Administration transferred 15 prisoners to the United Arab Emirates - the largest single transfer of detainees since President Obama took office. In March, a senior Pentagon official told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that former Guantanamo inmates are responsible for the deaths of Americans overseas. According to the Washington Post(link is external), the Obama administration admitted at least 12 detainees released from the prison have launched attacks, killing about a half-dozen Americans.
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