The Obama administration intends to transfer 17 or 18 of the remaining 59 Guantánamo Bay detainees before the president leaves office, The New York Times reported Monday night.

The prisoners will go to Italy, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

If the proposal goes through, President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE would be left to deal with 10 men who were charged or convicted in military commissions, and 27 who were not charged but were deemed too dangerous to release.

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It is not clear if Trump will refuse to transfer detainees once he takes office.

The president-elect has promised to keep Guantánamo operating and "load it up with some bad dudes."

Throughout his presidency, Obama has vowed to close the detention center. He submitted a plan to do so to Congress in February, but he has faced objections from Republicans over where the prisoners would go.

When Obama took office, the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had 242 detainees.