May 24, 2009
Posted: May 24th, 2009 10:52 AM ET

From

(CNN) - California Sen. Barbara Boxer told CNN Sunday she and her Senate colleagues are "worried" about the possibility of transferring current Guantanamo Bay detainees into the United States, adding she is awaiting a more comprehensive plan on the matter from President Obama.

"We only have one max security prison in California and it's, right now, overbooked, that's the case," Boxer told CNN's John King on State of The Union. "In all, we are worried and we want to to see what the plan is."

Boxer's comments come days after Senate Democrats voted to withhold funding to close the Guantanamo Bay facility until the president lays out a more detailed plan on where the current 240 detainees will go.

Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, also appearing on State of The Union, cautioned the president against relocating the most "incorrigible" detainees in the United States.

"Nobody wants them. We got all kinds of places in the world we can house these people," Shelby said. "If we have to move them from Cuba, from Gitmo, we have other territory that can bring them in, but don't bring them to the United States of America.

In a high profile speech Thursday, Obama pledged no detainees would be brought to the United States "if it would endanger our national security."

Filed under: Barbara Boxer • Richard Shelby • State of the Union


Dollars to California for taking detainees? | WE Blog | Wichita Eagle Blogs   May 28th, 2009 7:01 am ET

[...] the prisoners, and then it gets its bailout.” On CNN on Sunday, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., was cold to the idea of California taking detainees. “We only have one max security prison in California [...]

Little Late To Think Of That Now « Left, Right, and Centered   May 26th, 2009 4:21 pm ET

[...] Little Late To Think Of That Now May 26, 2009 Posted by Cory Franklin in Uncategorized. trackback Here [...]

Kentucky Muslim   May 24th, 2009 12:22 pm ET

As others have said, I don't understand all the fuss. We have plenty of maximum-security prisons here in the U.S. Charles Manson has been successfully locked up for decades now, so why are we afraid of a few foreigners. I would also agree that not all of the Gitmo detainees are guilty. Some were basically sold into captivitiy, and others were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many have already been released. We need to continue the trials.

Leslie   May 24th, 2009 12:18 pm ET

Whoever will vote for funding to close Guantanamo Bay, move those terrorists in their state!

gem   May 24th, 2009 12:15 pm ET

Open back up the Ruston, Louisiana P.O.W. camp where they held thousand's of P.O.W.'s. I am sure the people there wouldn't mind at all because they didn't during WWII......

The Broker.   May 24th, 2009 12:13 pm ET

Like the Guy said. Send them to alcatraz, with a small detonator tied to their private-parts. They won't try to escape,

gem   May 24th, 2009 12:01 pm ET

Are our memories so short that we have forgotten about the 400,000 WWII Nazi, Italian and Japanese P.O.W.'s held here during the war. Agreed that some of the combatant's held in Gitmo are dangerous but are they more dangerous than the Nazi's who carried out far more heinous acts?

Proud DHS radical   May 24th, 2009 11:59 am ET

Lets put them in the Cook County jail.

Bridget   May 24th, 2009 11:53 am ET

Google Hardin Montana, Senator Boxer.

nate   May 24th, 2009 11:50 am ET

It sounds cool for people to have prisoners in your backyard!

alvino   May 24th, 2009 11:48 am ET

Dude. . .-

You are absolutely correct. During World War II, German prisoners of war were held at Page Field , here in Ft. Myers, FL.

For the record, Obama has to continue to clean up after Bush, and the Democrats in congress bought into the fear tactics of the GOP, just like in 2004. GITMO needs to be closed, so we can end an embarrassing chapter in our history.

Truth-Bomb Thrower   May 24th, 2009 11:45 am ET

.....and after some activist left-wing judge let's these guys out on the street, the DNC will be right there to register them to vote. Boxer should be pleased.

Amanda   May 24th, 2009 11:43 am ET

There is a brand new maximum security prison in Hardin Montano which has been empty for years. Why can't it be used for Gitmo prisoners. this whole charade about what to do with criminals (which is what these terrorists are) is sickening,.

Lynn   May 24th, 2009 11:39 am ET

Mike in Tx: It was the previous administration who created the mess at Gitmo and except for protorture Cheney, they wanted to shut it down but had no idea how to do it.

Purple Spider   May 24th, 2009 11:38 am ET

Boxer and her "gang" from CA is a joke! Where does she assume a position of what should or should not be done regarding Guantanamo Bay? Poor choice of subject matter for Boxer, as she is not qualified. Boxer, you need to retire to homelife.

Lynn   May 24th, 2009 11:37 am ET

So, it is okay to make other people around the world unsafe as the Cheney/Bush administration did with their unwarrented invasion of Iraq?

Mike TX   May 24th, 2009 11:36 am ET

What a mess the Democrats have made of Gitmo. All high and mighty on terrorists' rights until it's proposed they wind up in their backyard. As much as I hate to say it, I agree with them – I wouldn't want the trash at Gitmo in the U.S. either. This circlejerk is what happens when you preach the moral high ground and put zero thought into what's actually going to happen on the ground!

dwardfarkwit   May 24th, 2009 11:35 am ET

Perhaps the President and his staff should spend a night at Gitmo and try out the accomodations...without the teleprompters.

Al Mellen   May 24th, 2009 11:31 am ET

When the Republicans were running the country,,,,,,Martha Stewart got locked up. If the prison system could handle Martha,,,,,i have faith that the same system can handle anyone.

asd   May 24th, 2009 11:30 am ET

Dabird: This prisoners well be held in a high security prison, which means that they will be locked up 23 hours a day and when they are allowed to go out they will be in a box alone. They won´t have the possibility to talk to other prisoners.

I can not believe that the US is so afraid. In netherlands they held ppl that have committed Genocide.

The Sunday Haps | DEEP BRAIN DIARY   May 24th, 2009 11:26 am ET

[...] bombing is in one of them.  The UNIBOMBER is in one of them!  We CAN house dangerous criminals.  We can TRANSFER them.  This is NOT the  movie "Con-Air!"  We DON'T have to worry about Republicans [...]

DA   May 24th, 2009 11:25 am ET

Here is a question that I purpose to those folks that are on this board talking about a prisoner has not rights to have their case heard. What if it was you that was caught and brought over to a place and were being held in their for no reason. See we are going on the premise that these folks were basically fighting our troops. However many were caught by mistake!! So, how will we ever know the truth unless they are givevern due process of our law!!!

Tracy M.   May 24th, 2009 11:22 am ET

It seems unlikely that any terrorist will escape a federal prison, get his/her hands on explosives and commit a terrorist act within the U.S. More likely he/she will run for home. There's only one way to beat a terrorist: Stop being afraid.

JHEARD, SURPRISE, AZ   May 24th, 2009 11:22 am ET

We all should show interest as to what will happen with the GITMO detainees. Showing interest is one thing, but to continually want to control every action of President Obama before he can make any decision is amazing. Presidet Obama is constantly being seconded guessed. The "Media" takes different venues that face this President and make constant talking points from unqualifed people who have no idea what a president has on their agenda. I wonder where were CNN, MSNBC, FOX, Hannity, Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs and others posing question after question to Former VP Cheney and President Bush. Cheney hid for 8 years from the press, and Bush was either at Camp David or Crawford Ranch.

San Diego   May 24th, 2009 11:18 am ET

Boxer cares about who crosses our borders and who's here. Yeah right. Get out of the spotlight hag. You, Feinstein, and Pelosi are as bad if not worse than Bush and his crew. Go away, you've caused enough damage.

DaBird   May 24th, 2009 11:15 am ET

The New York terrorists arrested this week became Muslim in prison and had bombs to blow up churches and a missle to blow up a plane. Putting GITMO prisoners into the US is crazy. Only a Bush hater could think this was rational.

sonny c.   May 24th, 2009 11:15 am ET

If there's anything America excells at, it's putting people in prison & keeping them there.

Dude in Colorado   May 24th, 2009 11:15 am ET

I fail to see what all the fuss and feathers is about in regards to this issue. These detainees, if brought to the continental United States, "incorrigible" or not, will be under guard, lock and key and most likely chained much of the time as well. They won't be hanging out in our local shopping mall – they'll be in some maximum security prison. These are only men, human beings, not monsters or super-men w/preternatural powers to slip through cracks to endanger and infect our way of life.

Besides, in WW II didn't we bring Nazi POWs to the US?

Whats the problem here? Are we allowing these people to scare us that badly? If so, we've go bigger problems than Gitmo and tjhe financial crisis to handle.

skyhawkdriver   May 24th, 2009 11:13 am ET

Why is it that the talking heads shows can't interview anyone but hacks??.boxer is nothing more than another left coast botox juiced whining liberal..her home state economy is in the toilet..unemployment is thru the roof..crime is on the rise and she is worried about the gitmo prisoners??..the dimwitocrats will do or say anything to get face time on sunday morning shows..no matter how stupid and irrelevant they sound..throw the bums out..can you say TERM LIMITS??

Joe Smoe   May 24th, 2009 11:11 am ET

Why so worried about transferring detainees into States, the president said only certain ones could be transferred here.
Have you looked out into our country lately and see all the murder, robbery assault going on here, I would call this home grown terrosism. Terrosim will never be stopped in this world whether it comes from al queda, the taliban, hamas or right here in our own back yards by our own people.
Do you not think, raping, brutaly assaulting a child daily, strangling someone till their dead, taking a child putting duck tape on its mouth and then having the forethought to put a heart shaped sticker on it, I could go on and on, to me this is also terroism, do you not think these people were not in terror? Think again. Terror will always be around here ,there and everywhere, it has always existed and will always exist!!!

Scott Stodden   May 24th, 2009 11:04 am ET

I understand when the President says no detainees would be brought to the United States if it would endanger our country and our national security but the truth is I dont believe he can promise us that. Iam a very liberal Democrat and I do not support the closing of Guantanamo Bay prison, I beleive it would put us in more danger to bring these detainees to the United States. I support the Senate and Barbara Boxer when they say they want a more detailed plan because President Obama does not have a clear and detailed plan to transfer these prisoners and to close the prison. I would want and encourage the President to not close Guantanamo Bay, I would encourage him to leave it open and make sure no torture exists anymore at the prison, I truly pray the President thinks about this before acting. Iam a lifelong, diehard Democrat and I do not support the closing of Gitmo, Would Hillary Close Guantanamo? Not without a direct and concrete plan, I guarantee it

J.L.L. Indiana   May 24th, 2009 11:02 am ET

Barbara is getting old and paranoid. It's time quit and went back to a nice comfortable home in CA. Enough of these not in my back yard cowards.

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