US government "uproar" over plan to close Guantanamo prison

View outside the prison at Guantanamo Bay. (Source: AFP/VNA)

Republican lawmakers immediately reacted strongly.

Speaking on November 9, White House spokesman Jeff Davis said at a meeting at the Pentagon that the plan would be submitted to Congress "very soon," but declined to specify a specific time, warning of the difficulties in amending the law to realize this goal.

However, some unnamed US officials said that the US Congress will consider the above plan this week. The plan will have four parts, of which one part specifies potential locations that can be used to hold prisoners in the US.

According to Mr. Davis, a team of US Department of Defense officials has conducted a survey of locations including two detention facilities in South Carolina, Colorado and two other facilities in Kansas.

Among them, the detention facility in Florence, Colorado, is considered the most suitable.

In addition, the plan will also include several key elements such as transferring eligible prisoners to other countries, prosecuting indicted subjects, and transferring foreign terrorist suspects (subjects who cannot be prosecuted but are too dangerous to release) to the United States.

Immediately, Republican senators representing the above states voiced their concerns.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott accused President Barack Obama of "gambling national security on a campaign pledge."

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner pointed out that both of his state's sites on the list are near multiple military installations.

Meanwhile, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas said that bringing prisoners back to the US would make these states targets for extremist forces.

Last week, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that includes measures to prevent President Obama from closing the Guantanamo prison before he leaves office in 2017.

The US Senate also plans to pass a similar bill on November 10.

The US military prison at Guantanamo, eastern Cuba, was established in January 2002 to hold suspected terrorists.

The prison has been internationally condemned for its brutal treatment of detainees, including brutal interrogation methods.

In addition, the Havana government has repeatedly requested Washington to return the illegally occupied Guantanamo prison on Cuban territory. Currently, this facility still holds 112 detainees.

Closing the Guantanamo prison has been a priority on President Obama's agenda since he took office in 2009, but has faced opposition from Republican lawmakers in Congress./.

According to Vietnam+