I strongly believe in the closure of the Guantanamo Bay facility
I strongly believe that the Guantanamo Bay facility needs to be shut down because it gravely violates human dignity and our constitution. (Nachbar, 2012). Furthermore, it should be stated that the Guantanamo Bay facility's detention of suspects—rather than prisoners—violates the fundamental values and principles that support US democracy. (Heuvel, 2016). Although these constitutional provisions are applicable in the nation and are outlined in the sixth amendment and the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment, the Guantanamo confinement facility flagrantly disregards them. Moreover, the facility has always been a motivating factor that some of the terror group relate to when talking about Muslim persecution and thus motivates them to continue with their acts of terror (Speier, 2015).
Pertinent Issue: Where will the detainees be housed?
One of the burning questions that often accompanies the suggestion for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay facility is usually "Where will the detainees be housed?" While this might be a pertinent issue, the answer is not farfetched. The United States has a well-developed criminal justice system that will be able to try these suspects and detain them accordingly (Speier, 2015). It is necessary to prosecute these detainees instead of holding them arbitrarily without referring any charges against them. Omar-Abdel-Rahman, one of the persons convicted of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 was tried and convicted in the US whereas another individual known as Ahmed Abu Khattala is currently being prosecuted for the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi in Libya (Speier, 2015).
Challenges in Closing Guantanamo Bay Facility
The closing of the facility at Guantanamo Bay has proved to be a daunting task owing to the numerous national security concerns (Nachbar, 2012). For example, there is an inherent belief that the remaining detainees at the facility are some of the most dangerous criminals and thus closing the facility would mean bringing them to the United States. Furthermore, any prospects of ever closing the facility have been curtailed by President Trump's signing into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 (Guild, 2017).
References
Guild B. (2017). Trump signs National Defense Authorization Act. Retrieved December 13,
2017, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-national-defense-authorization-act-live-stream/
Heuvel, K. V. (2016). Why we must close Guantanamo now. Retrieved December 13, 2017,
from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-we-must-close-guantanamo-now/2016/03/01/fe829b80-df0a-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html?utm_term=.76df1c3dbbdb
Nachbar, T. B. (2012). Executive Branch Policy Meets International Law in the Evolution of
the Domestic Law of Detention. Virginia Journal of International Law, 53, 201-246.
Speier, J. (2015). Guantanamo prison is wasteful and un-American. Shut it down. Retrieved
December 13, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-wasteful-and-un-american-guantanamo-prison-must-be-shut-down/2015/01/15/70abcb06-9c35-11e4-bcfb-059ec7a93ddc_story.html?utm_term=.267bd9b32793
