Lawmaker seeks to stop U.S. transfer

By Gresham Barrett

November 27, 2009

On Jan. 22, the day President Obama signed an executive order to close Gitmo, I vowed to “do everything I can to make certain that the terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay do not set foot on American soil.” As a father, husband and congressman, I was deeply concerned by the distinct possibility that the president would transfer these terrorists to the Naval Brig in North Charleston.

Recognizing the security threat such a move would pose to the citizens of our state, I immediately went to work with my colleagues in the U.S. House to offer legislation prohibiting such a transfer. I co-sponsored Congressman Henry Brown’s bill, H.R. 565, which would prohibit the use of funds to transfer anyone currently held at Gitmo to the Naval Brig in North Charleston. Additionally, I co-sponsored the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which would require the administration to first seek permission of state governors and legislatures before transferring one single terrorist to their respective states. Unfortunately, congressional Democrats refused to bring our bills to the House floor for a vote.

Over the following months, I continued to monitor the situation closely.

In late October, the seriousness of the situation escalated dramatically. I received word from congressional sources and news reports that the Obama administration had conducted an inspection of the Naval brig earlier this fall.

The purpose of the evaluation was to determine whether it is a viable option to house transferred terrorists from Guantanamo Bay in North Charleston, and whether military tribunals could be conducted at a nearby National Guard facility. I also learned that members of a Guantanamo Bay Closure Task Force are citing the brig as their leading option to house transferred terrorists because a U.S. citizen who was captured on American soil for terrorist activity was detained there. That is an important distinction since the individuals held at Gitmo are not citizens. Moving them to our country would require another executive order to circumvent immigration law.

Resolved to the fact that congressional Democrats would continue to block our legislative remedies, I determined that it was necessary to seek alternative avenues for preventing this possible threat from becoming a reality. To that end, I decided we needed to involve the governor.

I spoke with him directly and urged him to do everything within his power, including pursuing legal action if necessary, to make certain no terrorists enter our state. He was very responsive, and I am confident he will take steps at the state level to prevent the terrorist transfer Obama is considering.

I then asked our congressional delegation to set partisanship aside and join me in signing a letter to the president informing him that we believe any plan to move terrorists to South Carolina is irresponsible, ill-advised and that we will oppose it vigorously. I was honored to have Sen. Jim DeMint, Congressman Henry Brown and Congressman Joe Wilson co-sign the letter with me.

I asked my fellow gubernatorial candidates to sign a similar letter in an attempt to highlight awareness of the issue and to show the Obama administration that opposition in South Carolina is deep and will be manifest in not only this gubernatorial administration, but the next one as well. Some of the candidates seeking the governor’s office chose not to sign the letter, and while I respect their position, I am concerned that they fail to recognize the serious nature of the security threat posed by transferring terrorists to our state.

The situation escalated even further when it was announced that five Gitmo terrorists would be tried in open courts in New York City. I am sure there are some who will continue to criticize me for being out front on this issue. But, as someone who spent nearly five years in the Army defending our national security, I am not going to apologize for raising the alarm. Vigorously opposing this plan now will either create hesitation in the Obama administration or begin to build the kind of public opposition here in South Carolina that it will take to change their minds about taking this ill-advised security risk.

November 3, 2009

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Mr. President:

South Carolina faces numerous challenges. Our state’s economy is struggling. Unemployment is hovering near record highs and families are deeply concerned about their future.

According to some Congressional insiders and investigative news reports that surfaced late last week, your Administration conducted an on-site tour of the Naval Brig in North Charleston earlier this fall.  The purpose was, among other things, to determine whether it is viable to house transferred detainees from Guantanamo Bay in North Charleston and if they could conduct military tribunals at a National Guard facility nearby.

The people of this state have already made it abundantly clear that any plan to move terrorists to our soil is unacceptable.

We, the undersigned Republican and Democrat candidates for Governor of the State of South Carolina, strenuously object to the potential transfer of known terrorists from Guantanamo Bay Cuba to any federal or state facility inside the State of South Carolina.

Furthermore, we believe bringing known terrorists to South Carolina for a military trial endangers our state’s citizens and makes them potential targets for some future terrorist attack.

We strongly urge you, Mr. President, not to transfer any more of these known terrorists to American soil and we would support any legal or legislative remedy opposing more terrorist transfers to the State of South Carolina.

Sincerely,

Congressman J. Gresham Barrett