OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Letter to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States - Detention Facilities at Joint Task Force - Guantanamo

Letter

By: Tammy Baldwin, Julia Carson, Donna Christensen, Yvette Clarke, Lacy Clay, Jr., Emanuel Cleaver II, John Conyers, Jr., Peter DeFazio, Rahm Emanuel, Bob Filner, Raul Grijalva, Luis Gutiérrez, Mike Honda, Steny Hoyer, William Jefferson, Paul Kanjorski, Marcy Kaptur, Ron Kind, John Larson, Rick Larsen, Zoe Lofgren, Carolyn McCarthy, Jim McDermott, Carolyn Maloney, Gregory Meeks, Mike Michaud, George Miller, Neil Abercrombie, Gary Ackerman, Rob Andrews, Xavier Becerra, Sanford Bishop, Jr., Tim Bishop, Rick Boucher, Bruce Braley, Jim Clyburn, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Bill Delahunt, Rosa DeLauro, Norm Dicks, Keith Ellison, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, Jane Harman, Rush Holt, Jr., Steve Israel, Hank Johnson, Jr., Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Dale Kildee, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Sandy Levin, John Lewis, Dave Loebsack, Nita Lowey, Betty McCollum, Chris Murphy, Richard Neal, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Nick Rahall II, David Scott, Bobby Scott, José Serrano, Betty Sutton, Mark Udall, Maxine Waters, Robert Wexler, David Wu, Albert Wynn, Thomas Allen, Michael Arcuri, Bob Brady, Earl Blumenauer, Madeleine Bordallo, Corrine Brown, Lois Capps, Mike Capuano, Steve Cohen, Joe Courtney, Joe Crowley, Elijah Cummings, Lloyd Doggett II, Mike Doyle, Jr., Chaka Fattah, Sr., Barney Frank, Gabrielle Giffords, Charlie Gonzalez, John Hall, Phil Hare, Brian Higgins, Mazie Hirono, Maurice Hinchey, Paul Hodes, Jay Inslee, Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie Johnson, Walter Jones, Jr., Steve Kagen, Patrick Kennedy, Dennis Kucinich, Tom Lantos, Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern, Ed Markey, Martin Meehan, Jerry Nadler, Jim Oberstar, Dave Obey, John Olver, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Ed Pastor, Donald Payne, Steve Rothman, Paul Ryan, Jan Schakowsky, Louise Slaughter, Mike Thompson, Ed Towns, Tom Udall, Nydia Velázquez, Pete Visclosky, Tim Walz, Diane Watson, Jim Moran, Jr., Gwen Moore, Grace Napolitano, Eleanor Norton, Frank Pallone, Jr., Ed Perlmutter, David Price, Charlie Rangel, Linda Sánchez, Adam Schiff, Allyson Schwartz, Albio Sires, Hilda Solis, Pete Stark, John Tierney, Bennie Thompson, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Henry Waxman, Anthony Weiner, Peter Welch, Lynn Woolsey
Date: June 29, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense

Congressman Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat, fired off a letter to President Bush today, calling on the administration to work with Congress to reverse course on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, immediately closing it and transferring detainees to U.S. military prisons.

"Guantanamo is anathema to our values as a nation, governed by the rule of law," said Moran. "Its continued operation undermines our efforts to combat terrorism, providing psychological ammunition for those bent on doing us harm. In recent weeks, the President and his administration have been giving signals that they are rethinking their Guantanamo policy. This letter makes clear there is strong support in the House for a new way forward on Guantanamo and our current, detrimental detainment policies."

The Moran letter has been signed by over 140 members of the House of Representatives including: Reps. Abercrombie, Ackerman, Allen, Andrews (NJ), Arcuri, Becerra, Baldwin, Brady (PA), Bishop (GA), Bishop (NY), Blumenauer, Bordallo, Boucher, Braley, Brown (FL), Capps, Capuano, Carson, Christensen, Clarke, Clay, Cleaver, Clyburn, Cohen, Conyers, Courtney, Crowley, Cummings, Davis (IL), DeFazio, DeGette, Delahunt, DeLauro, Dicks, Doggett, Doyle, Ellison, Emanuel, Eshoo, Farr, Fattah, Filner, Frank, Giffords, Gonzalez, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hall, Hare, Harman, Higgins, Hirono, Hinchey, Hodes, Holt, Honda, Hoyer, Inslee, Israel, Jackson-Lee, Jefferson, E.B. Johnson (TX), H. Johnson (GA), Jones (OH), W. Jones (NC), Kagen, Kanjorski, Kaptur, Kennedy (RI), Kildee, Kilpatrick, Kind, Kucinich, Lantos, J. Larson (CT), R. Larson (WA), Lee, Levin, Lewis (GA), Loebsack, Lofgren, Lowey, C. McCarthy (NY), McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, Maloney, Markey, Meehan, Meeks, Michaud, George Miller (CA), Moore (WI), C. Murphy (CT), Nadler, Napolitano, Neal, Norton, Oberstar, Obey, Olver, Pallone, Pascrell, Pastor, Payne, Perlmutter, D. Price (NC), Roybal-Allard, Rangel, Rahall, Rothman, Ryan, Linda Sanchez, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schwartz, D. Scott (GA), R. Scott (VA), Serrano, Shea-Porter, Sires, Slaughter, Solis, Stark, Sutton, Tierney, B. Thompson (MS), M. Thompson (CA), Towns, M. Udall (CO), T. Udall (NM), Van Hollen, Velazquez, Visclosky, Walz, Waters, Watson, Waxman, Weiner, Welch, Wexler, Woolsey, Wu, Wynn.

Currently, 375 detainees are being held at Guantanamo, many of which have been in detention for over five years. Since the facility opened in 2002, only ten of the over 700 detainees that have been held in Guantanamo have been charged with a crime. More detainees have committed suicide (four) than have had a hearing before a military commission (three) at Guantanamo.

In the recent House passed FY'08 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585), Moran successfully inserted an amendment requiring the Department of Defense to prepare a plan for transferring detainees out of the Guantanamo facility. U.S. military brigs at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and Charleston, S.C. have been identified by military officials as locations where detainees could be securely held while awaiting trial or transfer to their country of origin.

The letter being sent to the President is below:

June 29, 2007

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Recent reports in the media have suggested that your administration is now considering reversing its position to keep open the detention facilities at Joint Task Force-Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO). If accurate, we applaud the decision.

Since the time that captured "enemy combatants" were first brought to Guantanamo Bay in 2002, the detainment facility has undermined America's image as the model of justice and protector of human rights around the world. Holding prisoners for an indefinite period of time, without charging them with a crime goes against our values, ideals and principles as a nation governed by the rule of law. Further, Guantanamo Bay has a become a liability in the broader global war on terror, as allegations of torture, the indefinite detention of innocent men, and international objections to the treatment of enemy combatants has hurt our credibility as the beacon for freedom and justice. Its continued operation also threatens the safety of U.S. citizens and military personnel detained abroad.

The House-passed National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1585) included a provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay. United States military barracks have the capability to provide for the secure detainment of foreign nationals while ensuring the safety of communities within their proximate geographic location. Further, the military locations afford on-site access to military courtrooms for the timely adjudication of all legal proceedings.

The closure of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay would represent a positive first step toward restoring our international reputation as the leader of democracy and individual rights. We also feel that it is necessary to restore the right of habeas corpus to the detainees. This will allow for the implementation of fair and transparent trials to bring enemies of our country to justice.

The global war on terror cannot be won through military might alone. It is a war of ideas and philosophies. A liability of our own creation, the existence of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay is defeating our effort to ensure that the principles of freedom, justice and human rights are spread throughout the world.

We look forward to working with you on what we hope is a shared objective to close the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.

Respectfully,

JPM
James P. Moran


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