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Posted on May 8, 2009

Chinese Guantanamo Prisoners in Legal Limbo

After the president signed an executive order closing Guantanamo Bay in January, U.S. officials have had yet to decide where to move the controversial detention center's 241 inmates, many of whom were imprisoned on terrorism charges.

17 of Guantanamo's detainees are Muslims from China's Uyghur community who face prosecution in their native country if they return. Cleared for release four years ago, a U.S. district court ordered the Uighurs to be resettled in Fairfax County, Virginia.

But some Republicans worry that the Uighurs are more dangerous than U.S. officials claim.

In this video, NewsHour Correspondent Simon Marks reports on the increasingly tense debate surrounding the release of Guantanamo's detainees.

"The thought of having any number of these detainees at Guantanamo...being literally in the shadow of Ground Zero, I find not just offensive, but also extremely dangerous." - Rep. Peter King, R - New York

"A transfer or release of these detainees will only happen in those instances where we are convinced that that can be done in a way that the communities that receive them -- overseas, with our allies -- will not have any impact on the safety of the place that is receiving them." - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder

1. What do you know about Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

2. Why is the Obama administration having a hard time figuring out where to imprison terror suspects?

1. What do you think should be done with Guantanamo's prisoners? Do you think that America's allies should accept a share of the prisoners?

2. President Obama ordered the closure of Guantanamo saying that the existence of the prison had greatly damaged international perceptions of America. Do you think that he was right to do so?

3. How would you feel if the Guantanamo detainees were moved to a prison in your community?

4. Do you think that the Uighurs should be resettled in Northern Virginia if there are homes for them to live in? Or do you think that they should be sent back to China? Why?

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