On Wednesday, Republicans in the House of Representatives have taken legal actions to block President Barack Obama's plan of shutting down a US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama proposed the transfer of some of the detainees to the US, but House Speaker Paul Ryan said that all necessary legal steps to stop the president's legislation are now underway.
Reuters reported that House Speaker Ryan said it would be against the law for the president to transfer prisoners from Cuba to America since it would violate a ban on such transfers which was passed by the Congress back in 2015. The Wisconsin Republican is confident that the House has enough votes to override any veto. Meanwhile, the GOP also wanted to ensure that the detention center in Cuba remains open and that detainees aren't moved to the US.
House Republicans have given an award to the Jones Day law firm with a $150,000 contract to perform legal actions in case Obama proceeds in moving Guantanamo prisoners to federal prisons, as reported by TPM. Under the proposal of the US president, an estimated 35 of the 91 current inmates will be moved to other parts of the countries in the coming months. This move will leave up to 60 prisoners who are either facing trial by military commission or have been identified to be "very dangerous" to release but are not facing charges.
Since taking office in 2009, Obama has underlined the importance of closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. According to the Voice of America, a senior official said that transferring the detainees from Cuba to the US will save the pentagon between $65 million and $85 million annually.
In 2002, the Guantanamo detention facility opened under the administration of former president George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York on September 11. About 800 prisoners have been held in prison there at some point. Many stayed for long periods without being charged or put on proper trial.
