Why both Republicans and Democrats should prioritize closing Guantanamo Bay
When George W. Bush announced the war in Iraq, he claimed that "we will defend our freedom. We will bring freedom to others, and we will prevail." The Guantanamo Bay Detention Center (GITMO) revealed a very different reality.
Established in 2002 to hold prisoners from the War on Terror, GITMO (located on a US naval base in Cuba) soon became infamous not for defending freedom but for torture and human rights violations. Prisoners at GITMO were stripped of protections afforded by the Geneva Convention and ruthlessly tortured. They were frequently deprived of sleep and food, abused physically and sexually, and waterboarded. Notably, more than 730 of the prisoners ever held at GITMO were later found to be innocent and released. Therefore, in most cases, the US was not torturing hardened terrorists responsible for 9/11 but, instead, innocent adults and even children (at least 15) caught up in the war on terror.
Drawings that show the torture inmates endured at GITMO
Guantanamo Bay is a stain on the principles of the US. The very existence of GITMO goes against the ideals of due process (5th and 14th Amendment), the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment (8th Amendment), and the entire motive of the war on terror. As the US fought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to free the world from terrorism, the US was simultaneously terrorizing and torturing people—many of whom were innocent.
Twenty-three years after it was first created, GITMO remains open. And while the US has stopped its torture program, GITMO still being open is problematic for a multitude of reasons and keeps a symbol of US torture and abuse alive.
Pragmatically, Guantanamo Bay is a national security threat and waste of taypayer money. Terrorists use Guantanamo Bay’s history of torture as galvanizing propaganda to recruit more terrorists, making the world more (not less) dangerous. Guantanamo Bay also currently costs "$445 million a year to [hold only around] 40 detainees [...] This means that it costs $29,000 per prisoner per night to keep Guantanamo open." This is money that could be spent on social programs, the military, or repaying the national debt.
GITMO is a waste of money, a national security threat, and contrary to US principles. Closing it should not be the political issue it currently is.
And yet, Guantanamo is still open.
Obama and Biden both attempted to close Guantanamo. Obama rightly justified that "keeping this facility open is contrary to our values. [...] It is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law." Biden also attempted to close Guantanamo, citing reasons similar to those of Obama.
But both Presidents failed due to opposition in Congress, which feared national security concerns of bringing GITMO prisoners to the US. And President Trump has recently seen value in using GITMO to hold deported migrants. On March 11th, the US deported 40 migrants to GITMO and recently sent another 20.
However, both reasons for keeping Guantanamo Bay open have been challenged, even by those who typically supported GITMO in the Trump administration.
GITMO is not essential for national security as the US has already proven its ability to hold dangerous criminals in US Supermax prisons without suffering a singular escape. And as former Attorney General Eric Holder has said, "keeping the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay open makes America less safe. [It has] alienated our allies, incited our adversaries and ultimately weakened our fight against terrorism."
GITMO is also a poor detention facility for migrants. Sending deportees to GITMO is extremely expensive, inhumane (the conditions at GITMO do not meet ICE standards), and unnecessary, given the US already has facilities to hold deportees. These issues have already resulted in the US returning the first batch of migrants held at Guantanamo Bay back to US facilities—and the Trump administration "rethinking [its] Guantánamo immigrant detention plan."
With this in mind, both Republicans and Democrats should come together to close GITMO.
For Republicans, who currently control Congress and the Presidency, closing GITMO should be a priority, given their desire to reduce government spending. If Elon Musk and the Republicans want to decrease the deficit, cutting nearly 500 million dollars a year spent on running GITMO is an easy way to do so. And this would be without consequence—as discussed above, GITMO serves little to no practical purpose. For Democrats, closing Guantanamo Bay would fulfill a goal they have had for nearly 20 years. Their party believes that closing GITMO is essential to protect human rights, national security, and the reputation of the US.
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Although it has often been made a political issue, closing Guantanamo Bay isn't. It would be a nearly consequence free decision that would yield monetary, reputational, and moral benefits. Twenty-three years after the US made the fateful decision to open Guantanamo Bay, it should close it and leave the maligned War on Terror in the past.
Cover photo source