Gov. Sam Brownback has formally denounced the idea of moving detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Kansas.
Brownback signed a letter, along with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, announcing that the governors “will take any action within our power to make sure no Guantanamo Bay detainees are transferred to Kansas or South Carolina.”
Uproar over the potential transfer came after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ordered a site survey at Fort Leavenworth and in Charleston. Carter has said that other sites will also be assessed for the relocation of prisoners that remain at Guantanamo.
Brownback’s letter says, “any transfer of a detainee from Guantanamo Bay to the United States would be a violation of federal law because of previous acts of Congress that have prohibited such transfers.”
In a statement last week, Brownback was quoted as saying the idea of sending these detainees, whom he calls terrorists, to the heartland of our nation is simply wrong. Sen. Pat Roberts and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran have also voiced their opposition.
Listen and read Gov. Brownback's audio and written statement regarding the possibility of the relocation of Guantanamo detainees below:
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