Barack Obama · Democratic · Executive Order
Order to Close Guantánamo Bay (Unfulfilled) (EO 13492)
Jan 22, 2009
Barack ObamaJustice & Civil LibertiesExecutive OrderEO 13492First term (2009–13)
📜 View the official record — Executive Order 13492 on federalregister.gov
What happened
Ordered the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility within a year and a review of detainee cases — a promise never fulfilled.
How it happened
Executive order signed two days into the term; Congress blocked transfers and funding.
Documented impact
Negative impactsubstantiated
The facility was never closed.
Congressional restrictions on transfers kept Guantánamo open well beyond the one-year deadline — a signature unmet pledge.
Positive impactcontested
Signaled a break from post-9/11 detention policy.
Paired with an order banning torture/'enhanced interrogation,' it shifted detainee and interrogation policy even as closure stalled.
Sources
Every claim above links to its source. Primary record and cited reporting: