Kansas leaders decry moving Guantanamo prisoners to Kansas … but Hoof and Mouth is ok!
An Roberts has no problem with bringing Hoof and Mouth Disease to the state with the new Bio Lab in Manhattan, KS: Secret U.S. Bio Lab Moving from Plum Island to Kansas
Kansas leaders decry moving Guantanamo prisoners to Kansas
Reports of Fort Leavenworth being considered for prisoner move draws quick, vehement opposition from Kansas governor, senator
Published on: Aug 18, 2015
Kansas political leaders were quick to make it clear that they do not want detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp brought to Fort Leavenworth.
Within hours of reports that the Obama administration is seeking information to determine what kind of modifications or security measures would be needed to move prisoners to Charleston, S.C. or to the U.S. Army detention facility at Fort Leavenworth, Sen. Pat Roberts released a statement saying "not on my watch will any terrorist be placed in Kansas."
Gov. Sam Brownback also released a statement expressing opposition to any move to house Guantanamo prisoners in Kansas.
"The transfer of GITMO detainees to Kansas was a bad idea at the beginning of the Obama Administration and it is a bad idea today. The citizens of Kansas do not support moving terrorists to the Heartland of America," Brownback’s statement read.
BIG OPPOSITION: Kansas political leaders are expressing strong opposition to the idea of moving Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the federal prison at Fort Leavenworth.
The governor said he is also planning to place a phone call to the Department of Defense to voice his opposition.
Roberts avidly fought against efforts to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to Leavenworth when it was first proposed in 2009 and vows to stop any renewed effort.
"We have received reports of President Obama’s attempt to shut down Guantanamo Bay, which once again reflects another egregious overstep by this administration. Congress has consistently stopped Obama by law from moving a single detainee to the U.S. I shut down this administration’s nominee for Secretary of the Army in 2009 to prevent moving any detainees to Kansas and will do it again if necessary," Roberts said in a prepared statement.
Senator Roberts has also cosponsored S. 165, The Detaining Terrorists to Protect America Act that prohibits for two years the transfer to the United States of detainees designated medium- or high-risk. It would also ban transfers to Yemen, where dozens of the 127 remaining Guantanamo detainees are from.