BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The Berkeley, Calif., City Council is considering a measure that would welcome freed Guantanamo Bay detainees to resettle in the college town.
The resolution set for a vote Tuesday night would invite "one or two" detainees to live in Berkeley once they are cleared of wrongdoing and released from the U.S. detention facility in Cuba.
It would also ask Congress to allow cleared Guantanamo detainees to resettle in the U.S.
Berkeley City Manager Phil Kamlarz is recommending that 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 move is an empty gesture that distracts from more serious issues facing the city.