WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump signed an executive order keeping the detention center at Guantanamo Bay open, formally ending an unsuccessful Obama administration effort to close the controversial military facility. Trump’s executive order will cement the existence of a detention facility that has fueled international disagreements in the 16 years it has been open. The announcement came as the government revealed in court filings its intent to “demolish” part of the detention facility to clear the way for future renovations. “I just signed an order directing Secretary [Jim] Mattis to re-examine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said during his address to Congress. “Would love to send the NYC terrorist to Guantanamo,” Trump tweeted in early November, “but statistically that process takes much longer than going through the Federal system.”

Source: Huffington Post January 31, 2018 02:22 UTC