Is Closing Guantanamo Still Conceivable?

Tomorrow marks the six-month anniversary of the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. But today marks six months since another key event: the most recent resettlement of detainees from Guantanamo Bay. On January 19, the last full day of the Obama presidency, one detainee from the detention facility arrived in Saudi Arabia and three landed in the United Arab Emirates. If Trump lives up to his pledge not to allow any further releases, those four will be the last to leave the facility for at least four years—maybe longer. The 41 who remain must wonder whether departure is even conceivable under a president who, as a candidate, promised that to keep the detention facility open and “load it up with some bad dudes.”

There’s one still held at Guantanamo despite being recommended for transfer. This official designation refers to those still believed to be lawfully detained under the law of war, but unanimously recommended for repatriation or resettlement by an interagency group of career officials. In other words, their continued detention has been deemed unnecessary, assuming an appropriate country can be identified to accept them under conditions that ensure their humane treatment and address any lingering threat they might pose.