Brown wants to block bringing detainees to brig

U.S. Rep. Henry Brown introduced legislation today prohibiting the use of government funds to transport any terror detainees to the Navy Brig in Hanahan from their current holding site at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

President-elect Barack Obama is looking at ways to shut down the operation at Guantanamo Bay and bring prosecutions to the U.S. If that happens, one potential holding site is the brig at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station. About 255 detainees are held at Guantanamo.

Brown's legislation has an uphill climb at becoming a reality but Brown's camp says they want to get the debate going on alternatives.

Two safer locations, Brown suggested, is the federal "supermax" prison in the high desert of Colorado, or the maximum security military prison at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. Both are "better equipped to securely and separately hold hundreds of individuals with ties to terrorists, from civilians," he said.

Brown, a Republican, called any decision to consider the Charleston area "a horrible mistake."

"While it is located on a military base, the brig is also less than a mile away from a highly populated civilian area," Brown said. "Bringing these extremely dangerous war criminals, deemed to high a threat to be sent home, would add an unnecessary terrorist threat to our community."

He cited the local population centers, the Port of Charleston, Interstate 526 and the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command as some of the risks.