On January 7, 2011, President Barack Obama signed a bill barring the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the US for trial. The provision was part of the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act of 2011. The bill contained funding for domestic security and overseas operations, but included restrictions upon transferring remaining detainees to the US or abroad. The move represented a reversal in policy for the administration as Obama had previously signed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010 in October 2010, which allowed the transfer of detainees to the US. In September 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder reaffirmed the administration's commitment to closing the Guantanamo Bay facility. There are 171 prisoners being detained at the prison as of January 2012.

Learn more about Guantanamo Bay from the JURIST news archive and read commentary on the detention facility from JURIST Guest Columnist J. Wells Dixon in Hotline.