Escuche esta historia
--:--
2:57
Biden addresses Congress not to interrupt the transfer of detainees from Guantánamo
The president promised to close the jail, however, so far he has transferred only one prisoner
Joe Biden this week passed the National Defense Authorization Act, Defense's annual budget bill, with $770 billion appropriations incorporating a 2.7% salary increase for individuals in the military.
That spending plan is one of the few that has the help of two major parties, in a period of incredible political polarization.
However, in his signature, the President of the United States fought that the law maintains the traffic of an old democratic guarantee: to close the military prison of Guantánamo, in the American base of the Bay of Cuba of that name. In which it houses the prisoners held by the US Army. During the "war on terror" released after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
In a statement, the US president praised the marking of a defense spending plan charge that provides significant benefits, and develops equity for military personnel and their families. Also supporting basic measures to maintain the security of the United States.
Likewise, it condemned the perpetual quality of two agreements that prevent the use of government assets for the exchange of prisoners to specific nations, or to the United States itself, without meeting special conditions that unduly sabotage the ability of the presidential power to decide when and where prisoners can be handled at Guantanamo Bay and where to transfer them after their release.
According to the US president, these limitations make it difficult for his government to follow legal options regarding prisoners, or to agree with different nations to transfer prisoners without putting public safety at risk. For this reason, Biden demanded that Congress eliminates these restrictions as soon as possible.
The provisions of the financial plan bill could be an impediment to the closure of Guantanamo, but this issue also does not appear to have been really important to the US president.
Biden warned in the efforts of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, to close the military jail, an image of a part of the mistreatment of the United States in the prosecution and discipline of alleged terrorist oppressors.
Obama prevailed in the significant decrease in the number of prisoners, however, the complete closure was prevented.
The Republican side, in any case, did not have help to close the military prison. In the Donald Trump administration, only one inmate was transferred out of jail, and in Congress Republican lawmakers are demanding that closure be discouraged.
Right now, there are 39 prisoners who remain in Guantánamo, compared to 800 who have been transferred to their cells since 2001, and most of them have not received their charges.
According to his Press Officer Jean Psaki, President Biden remains fully dedicated to closing Guantanamo. Statement that can be assured, since in his first year in the White House only one prisoner has been transferred.
The previous spring, at a meeting of 24 Democratic lawmakers, a letter was signed obliging Biden to carry out such a shutdown and ensuring that, with political will and swift activity, it could be done. Measures that Biden currently does not seem to find for said proposal.
