7 Presidential Candidates React to Obama's Plans to Close Guantanamo Bay

President Obama sent his closure plan for the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to Congress on Tuesday.

The proposal comes during Obama's final year in office, as he aims to achieve a key promise he made during his 2008 campaign for the Oval Office.

Following the announcement, the presidential candidates each weighed in, with responses split on party lines. All of the Republicans opposed the plan, while the two Democrats running supported the president.

Here are the statements from each contender for the White House.

Marco Rubio

The Florida senator released a statement on Tuesday that said the United States would not give Guantanamo “to an anti-American communist dictatorship.” The plan does not include a provision giving the base back to Cuba, only the detention facility, according to an NPR fact-check.

Rubio added:

“Number two, we are not going to close Guantanamo. In fact, we shouldn't be releasing the people that are there now. They are enemy combatants. These are literally enemy combatants, in essence soldiers — not soldiers, terrorists of foreign terrorist organizations. Many of whom, as soon as you release them, they rejoin the fight against us.”

Ted Cruz

Cruz called on Congress to “keep the American people safe” in a statement released Tuesday:

“It is laughable to think that the most spendthrift president in our history has suddenly become a fiscal conservative over the money we spend to detain the worst of the worst at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Make no mistake: he’s not doing this to save taxpayer dollars. He's doing this to satisfy his far-left-wing base who won't even‎ utter the term 'radical Islamic terrorism,' let alone admit it is a problem.”

Donald Trump

At a campaign event on Tuesday before the Nevada Caucus, Trump railed against the Obama administration's plan, while also insisting he could maintain the facility for much less money than America has historically spent on Guantanamo. Trump also said:

“...we are keeping open and we're going to load it up with bad dudes, believe me, we're going to load it up.”

Ben Carson

Dr. Carson appeared on CNN Tuesday and questioned the plan to transfer detainees to other countries. He said:

“I'm not seeing what the alternative is quite frankly and until we have a better alternative I certainly would not close it.”

John Kasich

The Ohio governor told Fox News that he “profoundly” disagrees with Obama's decision:

“I don't understand it. These are people, some of whom, are the worst of the worst. And why would we send them into our country, I just don't understand it.”

Bernie Sanders

Sanders was the first candidate running for president to announce his support of Obama's plan in a campaign press release:

“I am encouraged to see that the president is sending Congress a plan to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison. As I have said for years, the prison at Guantanamo must be closed as quickly as possible.”

Sanders added:

“Others, including my opponent, have not always agreed with me.”

The Vermont Senator is referencing a 2007 amendment Clinton voted in favor of, which aimed to prevent detainees from coming to America. Sanders himself, however, voted in favor of a 2009 bill that prevented funding to transfer detainees to the United States.

Hillary Clinton

The former Secretary of State touted her efforts to transfer Guantanamo prisoners while she was head of the State Department. Clinton also said:

“I support President Obama’s plan today to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and finally close the door on this chapter of our history. Over the years, Guantanamo has inspired more terrorists than it has imprisoned. It has not strengthened our national security; it has damaged it. That's why I backed closing Guantanamo as a Senator, and when I ran for President in 2008, as did both then-Senator Obama and Senator McCain.”

There are currently 91 detainees still being held at Guantanamo Bay.