Kind backs Obama on Guantanamo Bay plan

Congressman says it cost $4
million a year per detainee

Wisconsin congressman Ron Kind came to the defense of President Barack Obama’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. 

Tuesday afternoon on AM 1410 Kind challenged majority republicans in Washington D.C., to get on board with the plan – something they’ve been reluctant to do.

“If there so gung ho about keeping detainees at Gitmo, then they should show how they’re going to pay for it,” Kind told Mitch Reynolds. “Because right now, it cost $4 million a year, per detainee, to keep them at Gitmo – the most expensive form of incarceration that we have.”

Kind says those prisoners could be brought to the U.S. and housed for a tenth of that cost. Aside from cost, Kind pointed out, “There’s no due process. There’s indefinite detention at Gitmo and it’s a bit hypocritical.

“We’ve got our military leaders trying to convince these countries to develop a sustainable form of self-government based on the rule of law and we’er not evening following it ourselves.”

Convincing the GOP to close the detention center in Cuba, however, would be tough.

“The republican majority have made it clear that they don’t want Gitmo closed down,” Kind said. “In fact, most of the presidential candidates said today, that if elected, they’re going to expand Gitmo indefinitely, and I just think that’s the wrong approach if we’re going to have any success in the Middle East at all.”

Tuesday, the pentagon released a rough plan for moving prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay. Republicans in congress say they will not approve the plan, but Kind says they may not have to.

“Practically speaking,” Kind said, “he may be able to accomplish this just through the normal process rather than asking congress to take some type of definitive action.”

Some republican presidential candidates responded by insisting that expanded to accept more prisoners.