President Obama promised on his second day in office to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. President-elect Trump has campaigned to keep it open – a position I have continually supported in Congress, most recently in this year's defense bill.

The defense bill, which passed the Senate with a wide bipartisan majority in June, includes a provision that would prohibit the President from closing the facility or transferring its detainees to the United States. This measure is in keeping with public opinion on the issue. Based on a CNN/ORC poll taken earlier this year, most Americans do not want Gitmo closed, and I agree with them. The world's most dangerous terrorists should not be placed on U.S. soil in an effort to fulfill the President's political goal before he leaves office.

I had an opportunity to tour the detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base recently, and I met with many of our service members, including troops from Mississippi. I observed the utmost professionalism and patriotism from these dedicated men and women, who work every day to ensure the safety and well-being of Americans. Human rights organizations also visit Guantanamo regularly and they continue to find that the facility meets high international standards.

Some Former Detainees Have Reengaged With Terrorism

The world is different today than it was in 2009, when President Obama pledged to shut down Gitmo. Barbaric acts of terrorism by the Islamic State continue to make news headlines. The terror group has promoted instability across the Middle East, recruited thousands of foreign fighters, and inspired heinous acts of mass violence globally, including here in the United States.

About 180 inmates have been sent to their home countries or transferred to other countries during President Obama’s time in office. Unfortunately, we know that some who were detained at Guantanamo and then released have reengaged with terrorist activity. According to some intelligence reports, up to 30 percent of these individuals have returned to the battlefield or are suspected of being involved in terrorism. Sending terrorists to countries that cannot keep them detained poses security risks we should not ignore.

President Should Not Act Alone

It would be shortsighted for President Obama to take major action on Guantanamo now -- in the final weeks of his presidency -- although he has suggested that transfers are likely to happen in the coming weeks. In August, the Obama Administration announced the largest transfer of inmates, including detainees from Afghanistan and Yemen to the United Arab Emirates.

The peaceful transfer of power between presidential administrations should not be disrupted by a large movement of detainees or the closure of a base that remains critical to the war on terror. Such action could not only have far-reaching implications for our counterterrorism efforts but would also come with legal ramifications. Given the limitations on the Administration put into law, the President would have to act unilaterally to close Guantanamo, rather than acting with the backing of Congress and the American people. When it comes to the future of Guantanamo, the safety of Americans and our country's security interests should come first.