Staff Reports
The Biden Administration has made headlines yet again by condoning the departure of yet another Gitmo detainee, Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi. After more than 20 years of enjoying the luxurious amenities of the Guantanamo Bay facility, he is back in Tunisia, presumably ready to trade his orange jumpsuit for some local threads. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave the green light to this early exit, which feels like a favor to a problematic houseguest who simply won’t leave.
Al-Yazidi, who was flown back to Tunisia in the dead of night—because nothing screams “responsible governance” like a hush-hush repatriation—wasn’t charged with a crime. He’s the poster child for the Obama-era “let’s just let them go” philosophy that Biden seems to have taken to heart. After being deemed “transfer-eligible” in a review process going back to the age of flip phones and skinny jeans, it would appear that it took an act of Congress (and likely a few backroom deals) to finally send him packing. Apparently, the challenge all along was figuring out which travel agency to book his ticket with.
This is the fourth detainee to be sent packing under Biden’s rather questionable “letting them go” initiative, just as folks across America were gearing up to welcome President Trump back into power. It seems almost poetic that as the country readies itself for change, the administration is focused instead on shipping detainees out; perhaps to give them a warm send-off just before handing over the keys to the Oval Office. One can’t help but wonder if the drone-strike policies will follow in the new administration’s luggage.
Joe Biden Secretly Releases First Guantanamo Bay Detainee https://t.co/UMu7xSIJuN
— Marlon East Of The Pecos (@Darksideleader2) January 4, 2025
The Biden Administration has been busy lately, chipping away at the number of detainees at Gitmo—perhaps to earn themselves some kind of humanitarian gold star. The prison’s population has dropped from 40 to 26 under Biden’s watch, with over half of them now eligible for transfer. It’s as if the detention center has become the latest trendy pop-up destination, and everyone is invited, assuming their background checks aren’t too dicey. If only the administration applied similar urgency to other issues plaguing the country, such as the border crisis or inflation.
While both Biden and Obama have made promises to shut down the infamous detention facility, that goal remains as elusive as a unicorn on roller skates. Diplomatic roadblocks and stubborn detainees unwilling to consider relocation to somewhere friendly have kept Gitmo alive and well, but only on borrowed time. The current administration’s venture into releasing detainees raises eyebrows—are they trying to fill up vacation spots in Tunisia, or is this part of some larger plan nobody’s quite figured out yet? Whatever it is, the Biden Administration continues to stick to its guns when it comes to Gitmo; the question is whether they’re the right ones.
