WASHINGTON — President Trump has signed an executive order to keep the Guantanamo Bay prison open and directing the Pentagon to "reexamine" military detention policy.



Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, had this response:

“Trump is making a big mistake by doubling down on the national security and human rights disaster that is Guantanamo. For more than a decade, Presidents Bush and Obama tried to transfer people out responsibly, but Trump is reversing course. In trying to give new life to a prison that symbolizes America's descent into torture and unlawful indefinite detention, Trump will not make this country any safer.

“The notion that Guantanamo is worthwhile would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic. In addition to the incalculable human suffering, it costs taxpayers more than $445 million a year to detain the 41 men now there. Congress should prevent President Trump from continuing unlawful detention and unconstitutional military commissions. And we all must pledge — not one person more in Guantanamo, not in our names.”

The ACLU’s “Guantanamo by the Numbers” feature is here:

https://www.aclu.org/issues/national-security/detention/guantanamo-numbers