Congressman Ken Buck voted for H.R. 5351, legislation he co-sponsored, that prohibits the transfer of any individual detained at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention facility until the end of the year or until the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017. The bill prevents President Obama from transferring the remaining detainees as part of his plan to permanently shut down the military detention facility, ensuring that no terrorists are transferred to the United States or any other holding facility in the world. 

“This legislation should prevent President Obama from even starting to think about moving terrorists into Colorado,” Congressman Ken Buck stated. “For the safety of Colorado, America, and the world, these terrorists should be locked up in Guantanamo Bay for a long, long time.”

Earlier this year, President Obama announced his desire to completely close Guantanamo. But several former detainees who were transferred out of the facility have already returned to terrorism. The Director of National Intelligence reported a few years ago that at least 118 past detainees had resumed terrorist activities. Earlier this year Paul Lewis, who serves as the Defense Department’s special envoy for Guantanamo closure, admitted that Americans “have died because of Gitmo detainees.” Another former detainee might have contributed to the Benghazi attack that killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. This year reports have surfaced that former Guantanamo detainees have been recruiting for ISIS. H.R. 5351 will prevent further detainees from rejoining the terrorist cause and killing additional American citizens.