And, yet another update: Firestorm erupting in Bermuda over government decision to take in Uighurs, here.
Update a few hours later: House committee sends Obama a message: no immigration benefits to Gitmo prisoners released in US, here.
Gheeesh! Obama could you please tell a straight story! Only a few days ago we heard that all 17 Uighurs (Chinese Muslims) held at Gitmo would go to Palau. For its pains Palau would get a little US taxpayer compensation to sweeten the deal. Now comes news that four have gone to Bermuda and some may still come to the US. Has Palau gotten cold feet?
A little waffling going on?
WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House spokesman says the Obama administration hasn’t decided whether or not to release Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States.
[…..]
A tentative plan to release some Guantanamo detainees in the United States drew fierce opposition from Republicans and many Democrats in Congress, forcing the Obama administration to shelve the plan to bring some Chinese Muslims known as Uighurs to Virginia. The Uighur detainees at Guantanamo were found not to be enemy combatants by the Pentagon, but few nations have been willing to accept them, out of fear of angering China.
This past week, four of the 17 Uighurs being held at Guantanamo were sent to Bermuda, and the Pacific islands nation of Palau said it would accept others.
For new readers, use our search function for “Uighurs” to learn all about how this hot potato is being tossed around. If the Uighurs come to the US they will be treated like asylees with all the privileges that refugees receive—-subsidized housing, food stamps, employment help, English lessons, and the list goes on.