In his second full day on the job, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to shut down Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The President's orders are drawing criticism from the GOP side of 'the aisle' in Washington, D.C.
One critic, Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, the Republican and Marine reservist who represents California's 52nd District, doesn't agree with the move at all.
“I don’t think Guantanamo should be closed during war time,” Rep. Hunter said Thursday in a satellite interview from Washington, D.C.
Now that it has been closed, Hunter has introduce legislation to prohibit detainees from being moved to bases in San Diego County. In his opinion, the two local bases are primarily used to train troops for combat, not house political prisoners.
“They should go overseas somewhere,” said Hunter. “Let the UN take them. They should not be on American soil.”
Jay Kopelman, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), served two tours in Iraq. He’s not opposed to the President's order to shut down Guantanamo but agrees with Congressman Hunter that the detainees should not be shipped to San Diego County.
“As a Marine, as a combatant, I think closing down Gitmo isn’t necessarily a bad idea if we have a place to send these guys,” said Kopelman during an interview on San Diego News Now, Thursday.
The retired Marine said he’s not comfortable with the prisoners being held at Camp Pendleton. “It’s a training facility and a base that is home to Marine force units preparing to go war against these very people,” said Kopelman.
