House Votes To Allow Guantanamo Detainees Into U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans in the House have lost a bid to block the transfer of any detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison to the United States.

Instead, the House stood by a Democratic plan to allow suspected enemy combatants held at Guantanamo to be shipped to U.S. soil only to be prosecuted for their suspected crimes. President Obama has ordered the facility closed in January but has yet to offer a plan to accomplish that.

Democratic leaders had to push hard to win the 193-24 vote because many lawmakers see political danger in voting to move detainees from Guantanamo.

The Guantanamo restrictions were attached by House-Senate negotiators on a $42.8 billion homeland security appropriations bill.

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Comments

[Aoki-sensei]

The story is wrong. How did nobody else notice that a "193-24" vote in the House would be damned near impossible. Almost half the house would have to not vote!"

This motion failed 193-224. Not passed 193-24.
http://news.opencongress.org/roll_call/show/6220

Since it was the Dems who voted "No" mostly, I'm assuming a failure was what was needed to allow the GItmo detainees into the US....so it's a good thing in this case....

[mcantwell]

The Bush Administration's Military commissions have only prosecuted 3 cases in all these years. It's high time to get these trials under way.

[S1m0n]

You broke 'em, you bought them!

[unitron]

Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to just make Gitmo subject to the same jurisdiction as the U.S., instead of continuing as the legal "black hole" it was made by the Bush gang?

[Durango]

ee that is where the stupidity comes in.

It is not a legal black hole as the Bushites intended. American jurisdiction applies there the same as any American territory.

But it is an open sore of propaganda.

[LyssaBarnes]

The Bush administration was dragging its feet about prosecuting these persons and whenever they did, it still a miscarriage of justice in the first place. How is a defense attorney able to submit a proper argument when they have no access to their client and the evidence against them? By announcing the closure of Gitmo, the administration just put the fire under the justice system to, 1. define the rules of detention leading to prosecution and 2. make sure that this never happens again.

[S1m0n]

What, and lose the lovely irony in the fact for the last 7 years, the united states has had more political prisoners IN CUBA than Cuba does?

[vascopyjama]

Fanned.

[Durango]

Keeping the detainees out of the USA is as stupid a Republican talking point as being antiempathy.

Everyone knows, right, the reasoning behind Guantanamo in the first place was that if the prisoners were not held in the USA the USA had no jurisdiction over them.

And therefor did not have to abide by those silly things like International Treaties, the Geneva Convention of, worst of all, the Constitution.

Ignoring the fact that a US military base is US territory. And has been for over a century.

It is among the worst legal reasoning in the history of the Republic, And that is saying a lot for a country who allowed slavery for four scour and twenty two years.

But then Republicans are blinded by their own ignorance.

How else can you explain the Pro rape vote by Republican Senators?

[OLMEQ]

Guantanamo is an ILLEGAL OPERATION from the beginning. This fake terrorist holding facility is and has never been a sham . There is no protection from any terrorist going there because the REAL TERRORIST is right here among us all... The former administration is the TERRORIST CELL operating freely within the confines of the USA and no one said a thing against it lest they be labeled TERRORIST. Where are these so-called patriots and tea-baggers that feel they are true to the American Ideal. They never uttered one word when the Homeland security and the so-called Patriot Act were being enacted... They never utter one word when the corporate welfare given to the failed banks and insurance is passed out and never question off the book expenses of 2 ILLEGAL WARS ... If these are Patriots, this country is in a heap of trouble... The NEVER speak out or raise questions of the legality of any of these goings on before now... Goodnight America

[Tolby]

The Obama administration is making us safer and safer. What in the world are these people thinking?

[centsable]

Realize posters there are already terrorist in the U.S. It's a maximum secruity prison they will be going to. Get a life. We've got madmen in U.S. prisions now. Sometimes you have to let the government do their jobs.

[Tolby]

Why not? The government and progressives don't care. We will have to live at our own peril.

[Durango]

What are you afraid of.

That these prisoners will escape and do what?

Go where?

Personally I am way more afraid of the Aryan Nation types getting free.

But I doubt there is a chance in Hades of even them breaking out of Super Max.

[weslenforever]

I DO NOT understand WHY PRESIDENT Obama need PERMISSION from Congress to close Guantanamo in the first place. George Bush did NOT ask for nor receive permission to open it in the first place! He did not SEEK nor receive permission to KIDNAP people off the streets of OTHER countries, fly them to torture chambers BUILT by Americans, BEAT, TORTURE AND EVEN MURDER them. Bush did all that in SECRET and continued it even after it was discovered. Now, every Republithug in the country and a whole lot of Blue Dinos latch onto every WORD of the lyingest administration in the HISTORY of the United States as an EXCUSE to CARRY ON the atrocious and dastardly CRIMES of that administration and KEEP INNOCENT people locked up forever and keep the torture chambers up and running BASED on the lies of that administration.
What do they think they will DO if locked up here OR there? Do they have SUPERNATURAL POWERS? Are they MARTIANS with all kinds of weird abilities? GET REAL!

[thrdr]

He doesn't need permission. He's Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military. It is within his power to order through established military chain of command the immediate closure of the prison facility at Guantanamo and the transfer of all inmates to another military facility, even one at a U.S. military base within the U.S. If Obama was honestly interested in dismantling the structure of oppression and subversion of international law (which you accurately describe though with an overuse of caps) that the Bush administration set up, that is what Obama would do. He isn't interested in doing that. He's made a purely political move with an executive order as President, but that's not the same as acting as C-in-C. So we have this political spectacle playing itself out in Congress. Obama could ignore it, but he hasn't got the courage.

[teron678]

you have no idea what you're talking about

[Coinyer101]

Good. One more step towards closing the 'little shop of horrors'......,

[Tolby]

Let's give them health care.

[thrdr]

They've already got that. Unlike a lot of us.

[kappa08]

...run to the hills cowards...140lb men in shackles 20 states away may get you....

[Tolby]

Put them in your state puzzlewit!!

[Durango]

Bring em on.

Put them at Super Max. What possible difference could that make?

You don't think we produce our own crop of monsters? And keep them locked up?

Go back under your bridge or Billy Goat gruff is going to get ya.

[kappa08]

bring it...I can handle the heavy lifting. What does that say about you and your state?...freaking cowards...

[MikeDu]

Republicans have been mocking Obama for failing to fulfill his campaign promise to close GITMO, and here *they* were deliberately holding up the show for spite. Practically every complaint I've heard about Obama, take a closer look and see *who* precisely is obstructing and sabotaging movement. This is supposely a democracy but nothing can get through congress thse days without a 60%+ supermajority. Because the GOP is obstructing EVERYTHING, hoping for some political advantage.

[StAlphonso]

I am so amused by the lame Republican argument that "These are dangerous people bent on killing Americans and should not be allowed on U.S. soil!" Some of the home-grown psychopaths we are housing in our SuperMax prisons would make these "enemy combatants" look like Eddie Haskell.

[GeoLee]

So where were the other two hundred peps who did not vote? IT is common sense to try them here and if they are convicted to put them in our most max security prisons and employ more American citizens her on our soil to guard them if more are needed. Why my governor to be in kansas is so afraid of having them in Leavenworth or having them in the supermax in color is beyond me. We have others just as bad and many far worse right now.

[DSciarrino]

Honestly, I don't see what the problem is here with regard to shipping these guys to Max Security Pens in the U.S. What do people think will happen? A terrorist attack on a prison to free the "Combatants"? Give me a break. I could just envision Al Qaida bring in a hit squad and attacking Fort Leavenworth. Yeah, that'll work. . . What happened to our backbone? Why are the Republicans running so scared? I thought we were supposed to be tough guys. I don't get it. . .

[Tolby]

We are a country that is broke. Why not send them back to their homeland and save $30,000 a year per prisoner. Now we will have to pay for their court appointed attorney. Wise move Mr. President.

[Durango]

We are not broke.

Jeez another stupid Republican talking point repeated by the ignorant.