Lawyers Oppose Congressional Ban on Guantanamo Transfers
This week the New York City Bar Association added its voice to the chorus urging the Senate to halt the ban on Guantanamo transfers–which would block any efforts to close Guantanamo and try its detainees in federal courts here in the United States. Congress is now considering (and expected to pass this week) an omnibus spending bill that includes a provision that would block all transfers of Guantanamo detainees to the United States — even for trial or imprisonment. The House already voted on this provision, and the Senate is likely to vote any day. The letter warns that “enactment of this bill would deprive the Department of Justice of what has proven to be its most effective enforcement weapon to prosecute and bring suspected terrorists to justice.” Read the full text of the letter, as well as the opposition of retired military leaders sent to Congressional leaders last week. Read more about Congress’s efforts to block the closure of Guantanamo–and write your senators today to urge they oppose it.