Secretary of Defense Ash Carter recently told Congress that he approved the transfer of 17 low-risk detainees from Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba, part of President Barack Obama's effort to close the controversial camp before leaving office in 2017, reported the New York Times.
"We found homes for the 17" detainees, an anonymous official told AFP, noting that several countries agreed to imprison the men.
The transfer is expected to happen in mid-January, shortly after the mandatory 30-day congressional notification period. If it moves forward, it would be the largest number of transfers in a single month since 2007 and would bring the detention center's population down to 90, according to Fox News. The Obama administration already released a total of 125 detainees.
The White House refused to comment on the specifics of the plan when asked during a press briefing today, only saying "security professionals" determined that a total of 48 detainees can be "safely transferred."
"But I don't have any announcements about any planned transfers at this point," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, according to Fox News.
Congress banned any detainees from coming to U.S. prisons, forcing the Obama administration to find other nations to take the inmates as it adds the final touches to its plan to close Guantanamo for good.
"The U.S. government is working diligently to find countries who will work effectively with our national security professionals to put in place the appropriate security precautions to allow those individuals to be transferred," said Earnest.
In response to the transfer, Naureen Shah, director of Amnesty International USA's Security and Human Rights program, issued the following statement: "The transfer of 17 detainees from Guantanamo would be a leap forward, considering the snail's pace of past transfers. It would also signal that President Obama is serious about closing Guantanamo on his watch, which is crucial since the next administration may try to keep it open indefinitely."
Many of the detainees have never been charged with a crime or given full access to U.S. legal processes or representation.
"Guantanamo has been a blight on the country's human rights record for nearly 14 years, and this push to close it is long overdue," said Shah. "Eligible detainees should be transferred and those that remain should either be prosecuted in federal court or released."
The commander of the U.S. military's Southern Command also announced today that new limits will be imposed on what journalists are allowed to see and how often they can visit the restricted site.
Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly said journalists will be allowed to visit the center on tours organized once per quarter, stay no more than one day and will no longer be allowed to visit inside the two detention center camps where most of the prisoners are held, reported the Associated Press.
