Assemblyman Jay Webber TO GOVERNOR CORZINE AND PRESIDENT OBAMA: KEEP TERRORISTS OUT OF NEW JERSEY

WEBBER INTRODUCES RESOLUTION TO HAVE NEW JERSEY JOIN OTHER STATES IN REFUSING TO BECOME DROP-OFF DESTINATION FOR DETAINED TERRORISTS

MORRIS PLAINS—Assemblyman Jay Webber introduced a Resolution today to prevent any act of asylum, containment, transport, or medical care within the State of New Jersey for enemy combatants presently housed in Guantanamo Bay.

In January, President Obama issued an Executive Order to shut down, within one year, the Gauntanamo Bay prison that detains hundreds of terrorists. With no plan for what to do with the detainees, the Obama administration will attempt to send those inmates to locations within the states. Several states — California, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Virginia — already have passed Resolutions to prevent the relocation of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners to their soil.

On Wednesday, May 20, FBI Director Robert Mueller warned Congress that detainees could fuel terrorism if they are transferred to United States soil. The threat that terrorists would provide financing and radicalize others, warned Director Mueller, would exist even they were held in maximum-security prisons on the US mainland.

“New Jersey should never become the drop-off destination for some of the world’s worst terrorists — including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the principal orchestrator of the 9/11 attacks, Ramzi bin al Shibh, a key al-Qaeda member who planned the 9/11 attacks, and other enemies detained at Gauntanamo,” stated Assemblyman Webber. “Housing detainees at New Jersey military bases or prisons would just make our soldiers and surrounding communities magnets for terrorist plots – Fort Dix, after all, already has been the target of a terrorist plot. Even the FBI Director honestly acknowledges that sending terrorists to the states could fuel further terrorist activity here.”

“New Jersey’s national landmarks, ports, chemical plants, and oil refineries all would become tempting targets for attackers intent on killing civilians in our State. And the New Jersey families of the victims of the September 11 attacks should not be forced to endure having terrorism’s most hardened killers housed in our State. New Jersey simply should not be made a clearinghouse for enemy combatants, and I call on my colleagues in the Legislature, and on Governor Corzine, to join me in rejecting any attempt to bring them to the Garden State,” concluded Assemblyman Webber.

The text of the Resolution:

An Assembly Resolution urging the President, Congress, and Governor of the State of New Jersey to prevent any act of asylum, containment, transport, or medical care within the State of New Jersey for terrorist detainees.

Whereas, Terrorists have demonstrated their commitment to killing Americans and destroying the American way of life, and a number of those terrorists are being held at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba prison; and

Whereas, President Obama signed an Executive Order on January 22, 2009, to close within one year the Guantanamo Bay prison that holds hundreds of the world’s most hardened killers and dangerous terrorists who include terrorist trainers, terrorist financiers, bomb makers, Al-Qaeda recruiters and facilitators, and would-be suicide bombers; and

Whereas, Many of the detainees have committed egregious crimes against the citizens of the United States of America, including but not limited to orchestrating the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and another target in our nation’s Capitol on September 11, 2001; and

Whereas, Those detainees include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the principal orchestrator of the attacks on September 11, and Ramzi bin al Shibh, a key Al-Qaeda member who planned the September 11 attacks; and

Whereas, New Jersey is home to two federal correctional institutions, located in Fairton and Fort Dix, neither of which are maximum security facilities and, as such, not suited to house such dangerous detainees; and

Whereas, Housing terrorist detainees so near the civilians and soldiers living and working in the communities surrounding Fairton and the Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base military installation poses a security threat; and

Whereas, Fort Dix has already been the target of a terrorist plot, and the transfer or relocation of terrorists to or near that military installation increases the chance of a future attack on Fort Dix or the surrounding communities; and

Whereas, New Jersey is home to numerous national landmarks, ports, chemical plants, and oil refineries that could also be targeted for terrorist attacks; and

Whereas, Many families of the victims of the September 11 attacks make New Jersey their home and should not be forced to endure the pain and suffering evoked by the transfer or relocation of terrorist detainees to this State; and

Whereas, Legislators in California, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia have introduced or passed resolutions to voice their opposition to the transfer or release of detained terrorists into their states; and

Whereas, In 2007, the United States Senate passed a resolution by a vote of 94-3, stating that detainees housed at Guantanamo should not be released into American society, nor should they be transferred stateside into facilities in American communities and neighborhoods; and

Whereas, Terrorist detainees pose a security risk to the people of this State and nation and it is in the best interest of this House to urge our nation’s leaders and the Governor to prevent any act of asylum, containment, transport, or medical care of Guantanamo detainees so that terrorists responsible for the most heinous acts of violence are not imported into New Jersey; and

Whereas, The New Jersey General Assembly strongly opposes the relocation of Guantanamo Bay detainees to New Jersey and underscores its resolve to ensure that the detainees are not moved to New Jersey; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House urges the President, Congress, and the Governor of the State of New Jersey to prevent any act of asylum, containment, transport, or medical care within the State of New Jersey for terrorist detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison.

2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives, every member of Congress elected from this State, and the Governor of the State of New Jersey.

STATEMENT

This resolution urges the President, Congress, and Governor of the State of New Jersey to prevent any act of asylum, containment, transport, or medical care within the State of New Jersey for terrorist detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison.

On January 22, 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order to close within one year the Guantanamo Bay prison that holds hundreds of the world’s most hardened killers and dangerous terrorists. Terrorists have demonstrated their commitment to killing Americans and destroying the American way of life, and a number of those terrorists are being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison. Several of those detainees have committed egregious crimes against the citizens of the United States, including planning and orchestrating the attacks on September 11, 2001.

New Jersey is home to two federal correctional institutions, which are not maximum security facilities and, therefore, not suited to house such dangerous detainees. Housing terrorist detainees in such close proximity to the civilians and soldiers living and working in the communities surrounding Fairton and the Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base military installation poses a security threat. Also, Fort Dix has already been the target of a terrorist plot and the transfer or relocation of terrorists to or near that military installation increases the chance of a future attack on Fort Dix or the surrounding communities. New Jersey is also home to numerous national landmarks, ports, chemical plants, and oil refineries that could be targeted for terrorist attacks.

Finally, many families of the victims of the September 11 attacks make New Jersey their home and should not be forced to endure the pain and suffering evoked by the transfer or relocation of terrorist detainees to this State.

For these reasons, it is in the best interest of this State to urge our nation’s leaders and the Governor to prevent the transfer or relocation of terrorist detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison to New Jersey.

Urges President, Congress, and Governor of the State of New Jersey to prevent any act of asylum, containment, transport, or medical care within the State of New Jersey for terrorist detainees.