(CNN) The Biden administration intends to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, which houses approximately 40 prisoners, by the end of their term. When asked by a reporter during a press briefing on Friday if the prison would be closed by the time President Joe Biden leaves office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "That's certainly our goal and our intention." Psaki said the National Security Council is undertaking an inter-agency review to "assess the state of play that the Biden administration has, that we've inherited from the previous administration." Former President Barack Obama made a campaign promise in 2008 to close the facility by the end of his administration, which was never realized. Former President Donald Trump kept the facility open, singing an executive order in 2018 to do so.

Source: The Nation February 12, 2021 22:52 UTC