BERKELEY, Calif. – The Berkeley city council has narrowly rejected a measure that would have welcomed freed Guantanamo Bay detainees to resettle in the California college town.
The resolution was rejected late Tuesday in a 4-1 vote, with four abstentions.
The measure would have asked Congress to allow Guantanamo prisoners cleared of wrongdoing to resettle in the U.S. — and invite "one or two" of them to live in Berkeley.
City Manager Phil Kamlarz recommended the council take no action because "federal law explicitly prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the United States."
At least two other U.S. cities, including Amherst, Mass., have approved similar resolutions.
Critics say the resolution is an empty gesture that distracts from the city's more pressing issues.
