[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5341-S5342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               GUANTANAMO

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, for the past several weeks, I have 
repeatedly expressed my concerns about the administration's decision to 
fix an arbitrary deadline on closing Guantanamo before it has a plan 
for the detainees. In my view, it was irresponsible for the 
administration to announce the closure of this safe and secure facility 
before it could assure the

[[Page S5342]]

American people that the alternative would be no less safe.
  So far the administration's response to these concerns has been to 
simply assure people that any future transfer will not endanger 
Americans. Attorney General Holder says that detainees from Guantanamo 
would only be sent to American prisons if he is convinced that doing so 
won't impact the safety of the communities they are sent to. National 
Security Adviser Jim Jones has said the same thing. On Sunday, he said 
nothing would be done to make Americans, ``less safe.''
  These assurances may be consoling to some. But Americans deserve more 
than vague assurances. They want to know which communities are being 
considered, and they want to know how the people who live in these 
communities would be affected by the arrival of terrorists. In short, 
Americans want the kind of assurances and specifics the Attorney 
General has evidently shared with foreign governments like he did 
recently on a trip to Europe, but not with the U.S. Congress.
  News reports indicate that Alexandria, VA is a possible destination 
for some detainees from Guantanamo. A few years ago, when one of the 9/
11 conspirators, Zacharias Moussaoui, was held in Alexandria, the jail 
had to set aside a unit of six cells and a common area just for him. 
Every time Moussaoui was moved to a nearby courthouse, he was 
transferred in a heavily armed convoy and the entire prison was locked 
down. And whenever Moussaoui was transferred to the courthouse, traffic 
was stopped due to security concerns, a major inconvenience to locals 
and local businesses.
  These were the security requirements for just one terrorist. Now 
imagine duplicating these procedures many times over for multiple 
detainees from Guantanamo.
  Based on its own past experience with Moussaoui, local officials in 
Alexandria are extremely concerned. The mayor of Alexandria said 
recently that he is ``absolutely opposed'' to detainees from Guantanamo 
going to Alexandria and that he would do everything in his power to 
stop it. Alexandria's sheriff is also unconvinced by the 
administration's claims. He said that if multiple detainees were sent 
to Alexandria, they could ``overwhelm the system.''
  Congressman Jim Moran, who represents Alexandria, is one of the few 
people who is open to the idea of domestic transfers. But even he 
admits the strain would be intense.
  Yet what is even more worrisome to some officials at the local level 
is the prospect that any city which houses these detainees could become 
the target of a terrorist attack. The residents of Alexandria are 
concerned about it, and so are the residents of communities all across 
the country. I can assure you that Kentuckians don't want detainees 
from Guantanamo living anywhere within our borders, and I know that 
communities all over the country share the same concerns.
  Already, State and local officials in places like Louisiana, 
California, and Mississippi have been introducing resolutions to stop 
these terrorists from being sent to their communities. In Virginia, the 
Stafford County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution opposing 
the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to the Marine base at Quantico. In 
Missouri, the legislature passed a resolution urging Congress to keep 
detainees out of the State.
  Similar measures have been introduced or approved in other States, 
including California where Camp Pendleton is considered a candidate to 
receive detainees. Here in Washington, lawmakers on both sides of the 
aisle are also raising concerns. When one Democratic Senator was asked 
about the possibility of detainees being sent to his State, he was 
blunt: ``No way,'' he said, ``not on my watch.'' Other Democrats have 
voiced serious concerns about the impact transferring detainees would 
have on their communities. They know about the experience of Alexandria 
during the Moussaoui trial, and they don't want it duplicated many 
times over in their own communities.
  So there is strong bipartisan opposition to this proposal. I can't 
think of a congressional district in America that would welcome 
terrorists. Local communities want the administration to explain how 
transferring or releasing detainees won't make them, quote, ``less 
safe''. And the American people want the administration to explain its 
plans to their elected representatives in Congress.
  Senator Sessions, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, has 
now sent the Attorney General two letters asking what legal authority 
the administration has to release trained terrorists into the United 
States. He has yet to receive the courtesy of a response. Imagine that. 
The ranking member of the Judiciary Committee sent the Attorney General 
a letter pointing out that the law prohibits the transfer of terrorists 
to the U.S. soil, and he has not received a reply after two letters. 
Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf sent a letter to the Attorney General 
in March regarding concerns he had with transferring Guantanamo 
detainees to Alexandria. He has since sent two more letters. The 
Attorney General has not responded to any of these requests.
  Democrats are also demanding that the administration provide details 
for how it plans to deal with the terrorists at Guantanamo. Senior 
Democrats are now acknowledging that the administration simply doesn't 
have a plan and are asking the administration to provide one. Members 
of Congress have a responsibility to ensure the administration is not 
taking any actions that endanger the American people, and we have a 
responsibility to protect our constituents.
  It is unacceptable that the Attorney General is willing to discuss 
details about his plans for Guantanamo with foreign countries--foreign 
countries--but not with the American people or their elected 
representatives. Members of Congress deserve, and the American people 
expect, the administration to provide us with answers.

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