Puerto Rican Gov. rejects Gitmo detainees

On Monday, we examined the possibility that detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison could be taken in by European Union (E.U.) countries once the controversial facility closes next year. Some E.U. ministers did express reluctance are the idea, however, based on the possible security risk of the prisoners.

The U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico sits roughly three hundred miles from Guantanamo, crime has skyrocketed on the island, and Governor Luis Fortuño is allied to the Republicans. Perhaps these items factored into this decision:

Puerto Rico is joining a growing list of places in the U.S. opposed to becoming the future home of any Guantanamo Bay prisoners…

A spokeswoman for Puerto Rican Gov. Luis Fortuno, Michelle Cuevas, said Tuesday that he would oppose any proposal to hold them in the U.S. island territory.

His comment came a day after the island's nonvoting member of Congress also voiced his opposition, echoing statements by officials in several U.S. states, including California and Kansas.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates backed the decision to close the Gitmo jail. "I believe that if we did not have a deadline, we could kick that can down the road endlessly," Gates said yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, CNN, Lonely Planet, Reuters, CBS News