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Guantanamo Bay

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Tom Cotton | United States Senator
Earlier this year, I had
the opportunity to visit the
Naval Station at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba where I toured
the Guantanamo Bay base
and observed detention
operations. I also met with
military commanders and
soldiers who are currently
stationed at the base. My
visit to Guantanamo Bay was
informative and I appreciated
the opportunity to see
its operations firsthand.
Recently, it’s been reported
that President Obama
intends to use executive
action to close the prison at
Guantanamo Bay. I am deeply
opposed to this action and
wanted to use this opportunity
to further explain my
opinion on this matter.
Guantanamo Bay is a firstrate
detention facility that
houses some of the world’s
most hardened terrorists.
Any suggestion that it is a
terrorist recruiting tool is
disingenuous and aimed
solely at scoring political
points. Terrorists did not
attack us on September 11th
because of Guantanamo Bay
and they don’t attack us
today because of the facility
either. They attack us for
who we are and what we
stand for.
In fact, Guantanamo Bay
is a first-rate detention facility.
It is safe and humane and
it plays a critical role in keeping
us safe. It is truly one of
our most effective counterterrorism
tools. Consider
that nearly thirty percent of
released Guantanamo Bay
detainees are confirmed
or are suspected of having
returned to terrorism. That
stands in stark contrast to
the number of recidivists at
Guantanamo: zero.
Just last week the Obama
Administration released
Shaker Aamer, a Guantanamo
detainee, to the United
Kingdom. I am deeply
concerned this dangerous
terrorist still poses is still
a threat to our safety. We
would be safer if he were still
in his cell at Guantanamo
Bay. And moving these terrorists
to prisons in the
United States isn’t the answer
either. We don’t need
these evil individuals in our
backyards.
Rest assured, I will continue
to fight to keep dangerous
terrorists like Shaker
Aamer from returning to the
fight. And I will work against
any efforts by the Obama
Administration to close the
terrorist detention facility at
Guantanamo Bay.