Biden administration aims to close Guantanamo detention facility

Psaki said the NSC will be examining steps for shutting down Guantanamo.

By MATTHEW CHOI

02/12/2021 

The Biden administration aims to close the controversial detention facility at Guantanamo Bay by the end of its term, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

Speaking at her daily news briefing, Psaki said the administration had launched a process with the National Security Council to examine steps for shutting down the facility. She said it is "certainly our goal and our intention" to close the controversial prison, which was a priority for former President Barack Obama that he failed to fulfill.

Psaki said several sub-cabinet policy roles still need to be filled as the administration moves forward with the effort. The push to close the facility would be a "robust, inter-agency process," Psaki said.

Reuters first reported the Biden administration's probe into closing the detention center.

The facility was opened in the wake of 9/11 and has been criticized by human rights advocates amid reports of extrajudicial detentions and inhumane treatment of prisoners.