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Congresswoman Jenkins Concerned GITMO Closure Could be Coming

Congresswoman Jenkins speaking at an event last year. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)
Congresswoman Jenkins speaking at an event last year. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)

The Associated Press reports more than a dozen detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba could be released starting as soon as next week.

Kansas Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, a Republican, is concerned that may be a hint that President Obama's administration is moving towards closing the detention center. Fort Leavenworth is one of the facilities that could house detainees, a move Jenkins opposes.


“He just continues to plow ahead. At one point, he instructed the Pentagon to put together a plan. I believe it was $600 million, which would indicate it would be more expensive to house them here than where they're at,” says Jenkins.

Local and state elected officials have strongly opposed moving any of the more than 100 detainees to Kansas, and Congress has passed laws attempting to block closure of the facility.

President Obama says the controversial detention center breeds contempt for the U.S., and he says it's used as a recruiting tool for terrorist groups. Obama calls closing the facility part of a counter-terrorism strategy.


 

Stephen Koranda is KPR's Statehouse reporter.