Gitmo detainees may be Chesapeake-bound

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) - Detainees from one of the most expensive prisons on earth may soon be moved to Hampton Roads due to high operational costs.

Last year, taxpayers gave $139 million to operate Guantanamo Bay Prison, known as Gitmo. It houses 170 detainees in the war on terror. 

A U.S. Senator wants to move the detainees state-side, possibly to Chesapeake. 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) released a report from the Government Accountability Office. Feinstein's argument is that the U.S. needs to cut $1.5 trillion from the Defense budget by Christmas, part of which could come from cutting Gitmo.

There is a problem with Feinstein's plan. The Defense Authorization Act prohibits Gitmo Terrorist detainees from coming to U.S. soil. That act was originally sponsored by Congressman Randy Forbes (R)  from Chesapeake.

"If we bring them onto U.S. soil, they pick up constitutional protection that they don't have in Gitmo," Forbes said. "We don't want that to take place."

Congressman Forbes pays close attention to this issue because Feinstein and the GAO report target six brigs in America to put the terrorists including the Naval Consolidated Brig located at the Naval Support Activity Northwest Annex in Chesapeake.

The report says the Chesapeake Brig is only 20 percent occupied and could house all of the Gitmo detainees.

"I don't really have any concerns with it," Steve Knapp, who lives close to the Chesapeake Brig, said. "I feel that place is secure enough that I don't really think it would be an issue." 

Forbes disagrees.

"I am glad that particular constituent might say that," Forbes said. "It would be different if you have the eyes of the world focused on where you are bringing those terrorists."

Forbes fears when terrorists find out where their brothers are located, that creates terrible risk.

"You place a target on neighborhoods in a city because the terrorist get access to where they are and figure how can we make a statement.," Forbes said. "We don't want that to happen in any locality."

Four years ago, when the Obama Administration started pursuing this strategy, Forbes actually went to Gitmo to investigate.

"We told them this is a mistake to bring these prisoners back in the United States," Forbes said.

For Knapp, the brig is out of sight and out of mind.

"I just feel it's secure," Knapp said. "I don't even know where it is across the street. I can't see it. I'm not really sure where it is." 

For now keeping the terrorists at Gitmo seems to be the one issue Democrats and Republicans agree on.

"When it comes to terrorism, there is no light between Democrats and Republicans," Forbes said. "We agree we should keep them in Gitmo."

One attractive element of the Chesapeake Brig is there are segregated housing units, so the detainees would not be mingling with other detainees.  The chances of this actually happening is slim, because there seems to be enough bipartisan support to keep the prisoners at Gitmo.