Trump Announcement Via EO: “Gitmo Now All Mine and Will Remain Open Forever”

Trump at campaign stop in Sparks, NV said: “We are keeping it open and we're gonna load it up with some bad dudes – believe me.”

Trump's newest Real Estate deal: Sole owner of Gitmo -- it's all his from now on lock, stock, and barrel – the story and headlines from the Toronto Star below:

Trump signs executive order to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open and apparently forever

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order announcing his intent to keep the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo (Gitmo) Bay, Cuba open (White House announced on January 30).

Trump made it clear during his 2016 campaign for president that he wanted to keep Guantanamo open and “load it up with some bad dudes.” But the White House announcement came just before his first State of the Union address, and it marked a formal reversal of former president Barack Obama’s eight-year effort to close the detention center and the effort of Geo. W. Bush to also shut it down.

Trump’s EO says the U.S. maintains the option to detain additional enemy combatants there when necessary. It requires the Defense Secretary (James Mattis) to recommend criteria for determining the fate of individuals captured by the United States in armed conflict, including sending them to Guantanamo Bay.

The White House announcement continued: “The executive order preserves a vital tool to protect the United States and its citizens from continuing significant threats. The detention of enemies captured in an armed conflict is a lawful and necessary tool of warfighting that must continue to be available to the United States.”

Short history of Gitmo: It was opened by former president George W. Bush in January 2002 for express purpose to hold and interrogate suspected enemy combatants.

It reached a maximum population of about 800 by the summer of 2003. 

1.    Mr. Bush went on to transfer out about 500 he left office in January 2009. 

2.  Mr. Obama transferred out 197 detainees thus leaving 41 there today – including five that have been cleared for release but to date are still in holding there. 

3.  Mr. Trump to date has not sent any new detainees to the prison or transferred any out.

Stay tuned. 

Trials are still pending a start date for a half-dozen or so including KSM.

More on this very important issue follows below from many of my previous posts here. 

Thanks for stopping by.