US House backs Guantanamo prisoner transfer

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to allow the Obama administration to bring foreign terrorism suspects from the Guantanamo Bay prison to the United States to face trial.

The 307 to 114 vote removes one of many roadblocks the administration faces as it tries to empty the internationally condemned prison by January.

The measure, which was included in a $42.8 billion bill that would fund the Homeland Security Department for the current fiscal year, must be passed by the Senate before President Barack Obama can sign it into law.

Republicans had argued that allowing suspects to face trial in U.S. courts could create security risks and extend American legal protections to those who do not deserve them. But their attempt to strip the measure from the spending bill failed.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15311213.htm

[Sinti]

1. Well, then - that's some progress in the right direction :)

I'm not too hip on the whole "Homeland Security Department" conflation and inflation of agencies, but it's going to get funded anyway and combining the two makes it damn hard for the "we will protect you" group to complain.