President Joe Biden's aides have launched a formal review of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, reviving the Obama-era goal of closing the controversial facility with the aim of doing so before he leaves office, the White House said on Friday.
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Two crossed lines that form an X . It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Getty Images
The Biden administration s intention to vaccinate prisoners at Guantanamo Bay against COVID-19 sparked immediate backlash.
But infectious diseases are an acute threat to prison populations and the people around them, so vaccinating them is good policy.
On January 27, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Terry Adirim announced that the Pentagon would vaccinate some 40 detainees at GITMO (Guantanamo Naval Station). Adirim, who was appointed by Biden on Inauguration Day, has already drawn sharp criticism for the decision.
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On January 27th, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Terry Adirim announced that the Pentagon would vaccinate some 40 detainees at GITMO (Guantanamo Naval Station). Adirim, who was appointed by Biden on Inauguration day, has already drawn sharp criticism for the decision.
A kind of firestorm erupted over whether these Islamist terrorist detainees should receive a vaccine before the average American. The controversy then spread to several U.S. states which also planned to vaccinate prisoners ahead of most civilians.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, speaking at The Villages, a large community for seniors in central Florida, was also against vaccinating prisoners before ordinary citizens. “Some of these states are vaccinating prisoners instead of seniors,” he said. “They’re vaccinating drug addicts instead of seniors.”