Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (GA-01) released the following statement after the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 5351 today to block the release or transfer of detainees from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay:
"There should be no questions about it - it is illegal to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States. While President Obama's own Attorney General has confirmed this, there is apparently no stopping this president when he's trying to fulfill a campaign promise. While politics may be President Obama's priority, mine is the safety of the American people and protecting our homeland.
"It's baffling that the administration cannot recognize what should seem very simple. Releasing or transferring radical terrorists so they are able to return to the battlefield, as many have before, is a threat to the homeland and Americans at home and abroad. President Obama and his administration must shift their focus to destroying radical Islamic terrorism instead of allowing the worst of the worst to return to it. Releasing these terrorists or bringing them to the United States is not acceptable and this legislation ensures it will not happen."
H.R. 5351 prohibits the release or transfer of detainees at Guantanamo Bay to the United States or a foreign county until the end of the year or enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2017.
