The Obama Administration is finalizing a draft plan for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison, which will then be referred to Congress, according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, Bloomberg reported.
"The Administration is in the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to present that plan to Congress," Earnest said.
Guantanamo Bay was already being shut down in the interest of national security and the plan will close the U.S. military facility in Cuba in a safe and responsible way, Earnest announced on Wednesday.
One of Barack Obama's first moves as U.S. President was to pledge that the prison would shut down within his first year in office. However, he has repeatedly been blocked by opposition from Republicans in Congress over the transfer or release prisoners from the facility, Time reported.
The United States has slowly been sending prisoners back to their home countries or to third countries, a process essential for the closure of the prison, according to Earnest.
"That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time, primarily because it is a priority of the president," he added, according to BBC News.
Guantanamo Bay has been the source of alleged abuses, which includes torture by waterboarding of prisoners under interrogation. The White House claims it is a propaganda tool used by terrorist organizations to recruit supporters to fight against America, according to Reuters.
