Daines: Terrorists Don’t Belong in Americans’ Back Yards

Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on President Obama’s announcement to transfer terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to facilities within the U.S.

“Since 2009, Congress has repeatedly acted to prevent the transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to American soil. The President’s plan violates laws passed by Congress—including many that bear the President’s own signature—that directly prohibit funds from being used to move enemy combatants from Guantanamo Bay to U.S. facilities. This action is just the latest in long list of President Obama’s propensity of executive overreach and disregard for the will of the American people.

“Moving these suspected terrorists to our shores could present another politically attractive target for a terrorist attack within our borders. Closing Guantanamo Bay with the intention to move suspected terrorists near our families, schools and neighborhoods could result in foreign terrorist suspects receiving legal protections under the U.S. Constitution, which go beyond the legal rights they currently have. I strongly oppose the President’s plan and will continue fighting to stop it.”

The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by President Obama late last year specifically prohibited funds to be utilized to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the U.S.