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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Chandra Hayslett, CCR, (732) 816-4650, chayslett@ccrjustice.org

Guantanamo Attorneys Blast Trump "Keep Gitmo Open" Order

Courts, Not Trump, Will Decide Fate of Prisoners, Attorneys Say.

New York, NY

In response to Donald Trump's announcement in tonight's State of the Union address that he is issuing an executive order to keep open the prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) issued the following statement:

Trump has made no secret of his intention to keep Guantanamo open, touting it as far back as the 2016 presidential campaign, despite both the Bush and Obama administrations' recognition that the prison should be closed for moral, national security, and diplomatic reasons. It is unsurprising given Trump's deep-seated racism, his well-documented antipathy toward all Muslims, and his endless puffing and posturing. The entire Trump White House is stacked with white supremacists who are blinded to reason by ignorance and bigotry.
Trump's executive order is not the last word on the fate of Guantanamo, any more than his attempted Muslim bans and arbitrary transgender military ban--struck down by the courts--were the last word on those matters. CCR has filed a new legal challenge to the illegality and racism driving Trump's Guantanamo policy and demanding detainees' release. It is the courts, not the authoritarian-in-chief, that will ultimately determine the fate of the men detained at Guantanamo.

On January 11, 2018, the 16th anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo prison, CCR, Reprieve, and co-counsel filed the first major challenge to Donald Trump's continued detention of men at the prison. Visit CCR's resource page for more information.

The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CCR is committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.

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