Arkansas Senators Encourage President to Strengthen GITMO Mission

U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the president encouraging him to assess the future operations and detention of detainees held at the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO).

“Congress has continuously opposed and prohibited the closure of GTMO as well as the transfer of GTMO detainees to U.S. soil since 2010 in response to the previous administration’s attempt to fulfill a campaign promise,” the senators wrote. “Despite the growing number of threats to our nation from terrorists around the globe, the Obama administration demonstrated a serious disregard for the safety of the American people and the will of Congress by dramatically reducing the number of detainees housed at GTMO to justify those remaining to be transferred to the U.S.”

In the letter, Boozman, Cotton and their colleagues shared with President Trump a number of recommendations for the future of the detention facility as the president and Congress work to ensure the safety of the American people. They requested an immediate hold on transferring detainees approved for release by the Periodic Review Board (PRB) and the suspension of the PRB itself – which was established in 2011 to assess and determine the transfer of detainees – along with a full and judicious review of the PRB’s role and responsibilities. They also requested the consideration of military value analysis and recommendations of the nation’s most senior military leaders.

The letter was written by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and in addition to Boozman and Cotton, signed by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tim Scott (R-SS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Steve Daines (R-MT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

Click here to read the full letter.