Reasons for Not Closing Guantanamo Research Paper

Reasons for Not Closing Guantanamo - Research Paper Example The research paper "Reasons for Not Closing Guantanamo" explores the reasons why the Guantanamo Bay detention facility has not managed to close. There have been numerous efforts to close Guantanamo Bay detention facility during Obama’s term as president. Previously, when the President issued the Executive Order for the closure of the facility, the engaged Congress opposed him, hence restricting the delivery of his earlier pledge. There are various problems facing Guantanamo Bay, and even when shut down, more legal, social, and economic challenges would arise if proper measures are not put in place. Besides the Congress, several legislatures have factored into the logistical problems, by acting to withhold funds meant to aid in closure of Guantanamo detention camp. For quite a while, the Congress has repetitively voted against the closure of the facility and included provisions that would prevent the use of appropriated funds for any actions aiding in its closure. The detainees in the detention facility have been categorized into 3 groups; those under preventive detention meant to stop them from returning to the battlefield, those under preventive detention and still expected to appear before the military or other tribunal for criminal charges, and those cleared for transfer or release to other foreign nations, after contentment that they pose no security threat or did not engage in any hostilities. Moving the detainees as the last category infers, requires funds to relocate the detainees into other countries. In 2010, after Obama’s Order, the Congress passed a legislation (Defense Authorization Bill), blocking the department of defense from spending any finances in relocation of Guantanamo prisoners from the US for any reason (Landers, 2010). Therefore, any acts of reducing the populating in the facility in line with its closure have failed. On a further opposition, the Congress made it certain that the detainees required to be in the facility and hence restricted the action of building another facility in the mainland United States. Despite the Administration’s clear opposition of section 413, the Congress prohibited the utilization of funds to construct, upgrade or renovate, and expand the US correctional facility in order to house individuals held in the Guantanamo detention facility (Executive Office of the President, 2013). Through the ban, the congress made it clear that not even other US prison facilities would be spared. None would receive financial support to aid in extra housing of the detainees that would be transferred from Guantanamo, which included the expansion activities or operating costs in maintenance of the detainees. Apparently, it is evident that the congress has consistently been usin g its spending oversight authority to control government funds from acquisition by an Illinois state prison (as a detention facility of one category for Guantanamo detainees), financing trials or even of the