Obama plan to close Gitmo hits old roadblocks

The Obama administration's renewed plan to close the terrorism prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has hit familiar roadblocks: Objections by local lawmakers to placing detainees at facilities in the United States.

Suggestions to send Gitmo prisoners to Illinois and South Carolina, for example, have drawn opposition from state officials, including two influential U.S. senators: Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican.

There are some 116 prisoners still incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay.

The challenge of where to send detainees has plagued President Obama's efforts to close the facility by the time he leaves office in January of 2017. Officials in the United States and in other countries have objected to taking in detainees, saying they are hardened terrorists who threaten internal security.

From The Washington Post:

"Even if officials can settle on a site, the prospect of bringing any detainees to the U.S. mainland -- either for prosecution in military commissions or indefinite detention without trial under the laws of war -- remains radioactive for many in Congress. Lawmakers have argued that no place in the United States can offer the same security as Guantanamo. The administration has countered that the Bureau of Prisons holds many dangerous terrorists who were convicted in federal court.

"For months, administration officials have been racing to assemble a plan that could win support in the Senate, where Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has voiced tentative support for closing the facility -- if he receives a detailed proposal for how the administration would mitigate security risks in doing so."