CNN/ORC Poll: Over Half of Americans Oppose Closing Gitmo

Over half of Americans are opposed to closing the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, according to a new poll.

The CNN/ORC survey released Friday, shows 56 percent oppose shutting the detention facility, while 40 percent support the plan – one of President Barack Obama's 2008 election vows.

Among Republicans, 83 percent say it shouldn't be closed, up from 76 percent in August, according to the poll.

The poll also finds most Americans aren't concerned with Cuba being the site of the military prison, with just 7 percent calling Cuba a "very serious threat," and 22 percent calling it a "moderately serious threat." The poll finds 47 percent see the communist island nation as "no threat at all."

The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Obama unveiled his plan to close the prison last month, but GOP lawmakers have rejected it for lacking details and for raising the possibility of having dangerous terror suspects on U.S. soil. 

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

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