Huffington Magazine Issue 38 | Page 58

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES HELD AT BAY trying them in U.S. courts. The Supreme Court has ruled, however, that foreign terrorism suspects do have the right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts. Obama shut down the military tribunals as soon as he took office and began exploring ways to transfer the suspected terrorists to American soil — possibly to a prison in Illinois — and try them in federal courts. Throughout the long, hot summer of 2009, how- HUFFINGTON 03.03.13 ever, as the Tea Party movement blossomed, Republicans charged that closing Guantanamo would put Americans in danger, potentially even leading to terrorist prison breaks. Senate Democrats, lead by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), also opposed transferring the detainees and cut off $80 million Obama had requested to do so, claiming the administration had done too little to outline its plans. Andy Worthington, a journalist and activist who has been writing about the camp for seven years, said that Congress, which has re- A woman holds a poster as she protests against the 10-year anniversary of holding detainees in Guantanamo during a demonstration on Jan. 11, 2012.