Washington, D.C.- Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), and CPC Peace and Security Taskforce Chairwoman Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement condemning a new executive order by President Trump to continue operations of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay:
“In his first State of the Union address, President Trump proudly announced his new executive order to extend operations at Guantanamo detention center. For over 16 years, this global symbol of U.S. torture and abuse has remained a stain on America’s international reputation and unnecessarily endangered our service members deployed abroad. As such, President Trump’s announcement is yet another threat to peace and national security.
“Presently, the Guantanamo detention center is economically inefficient and morally irresponsible. It costs $445 million to house a handful of prisoners who could easily be securely housed within our domestic justice system and afforded due process. As a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation demonstrated, abusive tactics used at the facility unsurprisingly failed to make us safer and only mislead members of Congress seeking to exercise their constitutional oversight functions. The Congressional Progressive Caucus once again calls for the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center. We must act now to halt President Trump’s order and bring an end to this dark chapter in American history.”
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the largest caucus within the House Democratic Caucus, with over 70 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests, fight economic and social inequality, and promote civil liberties. The CPC champions progressive policy solutions like comprehensive immigration reform, a $15 national minimum wage, fair trade, gun violence reform, debt-free college, and making the federal government a Model Employer.
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