House passes bill allowing transfer of Guantanamo detainees to US for trial
The US House of Representatives [official website] voted 307-114 [roll call vote] Thursday to approve legislation that would allow Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainees to be transferred to US soil for prosecution. The measure was part of a $42.7 billion spending bill [HR 2892 materials] for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [official website]. The legislation would forbid the release of Guantanamo detainees onto US soil and allows their transfer only for purposes of prosecution in federal courts and only after a thorough security assessment. The legislation also requires that Congress be provided with details before a detainee is transferred overseas. Republican lawmakers strongly opposed the measure, and attempted to send the bill back to committee, but that attempt was voted down 193-224 [roll call vote]. The bill will now go before the US Senate.