The Ministry of Defense on Saturday interrupted a plan to give the COVID-19 vaccine to inmates at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The camp is home to approximately 40 inmates, including high-quality inmates such as 9/11 self-proclaimed architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The Pentagon scheduled its breaks after Republicans criticized the program for putting terror suspects above vulnerable Americans.
The plan went public on Friday when a Department of Defense spokesman confirmed to CBS News and other outlets that the department would voluntarily administer COVID-19 vaccines to all inmates.
“COVID-19 vaccinations will be offered to all inmates and inmates. It will be administered on a voluntary basis and in accordance with the ministry’s priority distribution plan,” said the spokesman.
But the announcement drew harsh criticism from GOP politicians. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted Saturday, “President Biden told us he would have a plan to beat the virus on Day 1. He never told us it would be more like giving the vaccine to terrorists than most Americans.”
New York representative Elise Stefanik tweeted that the plan was “unforgivable and un-American.”
On Saturday afternoon, the Pentagon had changed course. “No Guantanamo prisoners have been vaccinated,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. “We are interrupting the plan to move forward as we review the protocols for protecting the armed forces. We remain committed to our commitments to keep our troops safe.”
CDC vaccination guidelines say that both correctional personnel and inmate people are at increased risk of contracting the disease. The CDC recommends vaccinating staff and inmates at the same time to help control outbreaks in prisons and surrounding communities.
The vaccination plan was approved through a Jan. 27 memo signed by Terry Adirim, deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs at the Department of Defense.
Guantanamo Bay opened in 2002 under former President George W. Bush to house so-called “high-quality” inmates. After former President Barack Obama tried and failed to close the prison camp during his eight years in office, former President Donald Trump promised to keep the facility open.
Five 9/11 suspects are still awaiting trial at the military base, and the schedule has been further delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.