Donald Trump had signaled while campaigning that he opposes shuttering Guantánamo Bay, and once pledged to “load it up with some bad dudes.” | Getty Trump sounds off on Gitmo: 'There should be no further releases'

Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to sound off on yet another topic — the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, from which the president-elect asserted “there should be no further releases.”

“There should be no further releases from Gitmo,” Trump tweeted. “These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the battlefield.”


It was unclear what prompted the statement, but President Barack Obama tried throughout his tenure to close down the detention camp, which opened in 2001. Critics have asserted that the prison abuses the human rights of prisoners detained there without trial. Though it is still open, fewer than 100 detainees remain there, and in December, the New York Times reported that the Obama administration intends to transfer another 17 or 18 to other countries, leaving 41 or 42 detainees for when Trump assumes the presidency.

Trump had signaled while campaigning that he opposes shuttering it, and once pledged to “load it up with some bad dudes.”

Obama has argued that the continued use of the prison “is contrary to our values” and “undermines our standing in the world.”

In a November press conference, the president sounded frustrated when he acknowledged that he had not fulfilled his promise to close the prison, though he noted that he had reduced its population. “With respect to Guantanamo, it is true that I have not been able to close the darn thing,” Obama said.

Asked about Trump's statement at Tuesday's daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama will not change his policy on Guantánamo because of Trump's tweet.