Poll: Over half of Americans oppose closing Gitmo

Over half of U.S. adults oppose closing the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, according to a new poll.

About 56 percent think the controversial detention facility should continue operating in a new CNN/ORC survey released Friday.

{mosads}Another 40 percent want Gitmo closed, the poll says, and 3 percent had no opinion on the issue.

Friday’s results also found that most Americans are not concerned with Cuba being the site of the military prison despite its history of antagonism toward the U.S.

Just 7 percent consider the island a “very serious threat,” with 22 percent calling it a “moderately serious threat.”

Another 22 percent describe the Communist nation as “just a slight threat,” while 47 percent see “no threat at all.”

CNN/ORC surveyed 1,001 adult Americans via cellphone and landline interviews Feb. 24–27. It has a 3 percentage point margin of error.

Pollsters also said Friday that their latest results indicate a slight growth in support for keeping Guantánamo Bay functional. About 53 percent wanted it to stay operational when surveyed last August, while 44 percent backed shutting it down.

CNN reported the high-water mark for keeping Gitmo open came last March, when roughly 60 percent supported its continued operations.

About 39 percent advocated closing the facility, that survey from March 19 to 21, concluded.

President Obama unveiled his plan for closing the prison late last month, a last-ditch attempt to keep a 2008 campaign promise.

GOP lawmakers immediately rejected the plan, arguing it lacked details and raised the uncomfortable possibility of having dangerous terrorism suspects on U.S. soil. Obama has repeatedly argued that keeping Gitmo open emboldens extremists and damages America’s human rights credibility.

The prison currently holds 91 detainees, down from 242 at the start of Obama’s first term. It has an annual operating cost of approximately $445 million.