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Colo. governor against Gitmo detainee transfers

Posted at 6:42 AM, Mar 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-30 09:32:51-04

Gov. John Hickenlooper has spoken out against the potential transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to Fremont County, saying he's opposed to the idea because of local opposition.

The Denver Post reports that Hickenlooper said Tuesday he's been hearing from county residents who say the community is against the transfer and that he will respect their wishes.

Two prisons in the county, one in Florence and the other in Canon City, are being considered as possible locations to house the detainees as part of President Barack Obama's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

While Hickenlooper says he doubts the White House will end up choosing Colorado, he says he will stand by residents and be "firmly against" the transfer in the event that it does happen.