Jackie Walorski: “The recent release of the Taliban Five was a potent reminder to Congress, as well as the American people, of the risk…”

“The recent release of the Taliban Five was a potent reminder to Congress, as well as the American people, of the risk involved in detainee transfer decisions. The rising rate of terrorism reengagement, the unstable security situation in Yemen, and the continuing threat posed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have prompted me to introduce this amendment again this year. One of President Obama's first acts in office was to sign an executive order to close the facility at Guantanamo. However, the President himself suspended all detainee transfers from Gitmo to Yemen on January 5, 2010. This decision was made in the aftermath of the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt, which was the first attack on the U.S. by al Qaeda since 9/11. The would-be bomber was radicalized and trained in Yemen. White House Press Secretary Gibbs said that: Right now, any additional transfers to Yemen are not a good idea. In May of last year, the President changed his mind, lifting the moratorium on transfers to Yemen and reviewing transfers ``on a case- by-case basis.'' Unfortunately, the U.S. intelligence community reports that the number of former Gitmo detainees who reengage in terrorism has steadily increased since 2002. In December 2007, the first public intelligence report addressing Gitmo ``reengagement'' declared the reengagement rate was ``about 7 percent.'' As of March of this year, the reengagement rate had risen to 29 percent.…”