Senator Scott Statement on Bringing Gitmo Prisoners to US

Charleston, SC- U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) released the following statement today in regards tothe Obama Administration beginning site assessment plans for domestic alternatives to the Guantanamo Bay prison. These alternatives include the Naval Brig in Hanahan, SC and Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas.

“There is no plan or study that shows transferring prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to South Carolina or any other domestic location will make America safer.It is unbelievable that the President believes they need to assess whether the Naval Brig, which is right next to an elementary school and a residential neighborhood, as well as just a short drive from one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world, is a better option for housing dangerous terrorists than Guantanamo Bay.

These detainees are the worst of the worst, including planners of theSeptember 11thattacks and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. They should stay right where they are – in cells at the prison on Guantanamo Bay.

Congress passed a bipartisan bill barring the transfer of detainees to the United States for a reason. Changing this policy is simply an awful strategy, and there are a variety of legislative options I will assess in order to fight these plans for as long as it takes. I am already working both with members of our delegation and the Kansas delegation to lead the charge against bringing these prisoners into a domestic setting, and will be speaking with multiple members of the Administration in the coming days.”