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A college town in western Massachusetts is the first municipality in the US to say it will accept into the community detainees cleared for release from the 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 detention camp 鈥� if Congress will only repeal its ban on resettling any such detainees on American soil.

The move came Wednesday night in Amherst, Mass., on a voice vote of town meeting members. The town is also now officially on record as urging Congress to lift its ban on moving cleared detainees to the US 鈥� and has gone so far as to identify two detainees it would like to welcome to Amherst.

The town, home of Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is "an international community," says Ruth Hooke, a resident who sponsored the resolution. "We have a very large mosque here. Both of the men are Muslims so they鈥檇 be able to attend that mosque. They are young men. Presumably, they have the ability to work.鈥�

The two detainees Amherst is eyeing are a former ballet dancer from Russia, the only non-Arab still held in 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞, and a soccer player from Algeria, an accountant cleared of wrongdoing several years ago. Algerian Ahmed Belbacha remains in US custody because no country will take him and because it is unsafe for him to return to Algeria, where his attorney says he was previously threatened by an Islamic group, the GIA.

Mr. Belbacha, who celebrates his 40th birthday next week, has been held for nearly eight years. His attorney, Ahmed Ghappour, said in a phone interview he does not know how his client will celebrate his birthday. In 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞, he said, the only privileges detainees get are a toothbrush, a blanket, and a mattress.

鈥淗opefully he can celebrate with news of this resolution passing,鈥� Mr. Ghappour said. 鈥淚 think Ahmed would love to move to Amherst.鈥�

Ravil Mingazov, formerly a ballet dancer in the Russian army, ended up in 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 because he was persecuted in the army for being a Muslim, his lawyer, Gary Thompson, said in a phone interview. After Russian authorities refused to record his newborn son鈥檚 name as Yusef (they wrote it down as Joseph), Mr. Mingazov left his wife and young son behind in Russia to seek a better life in a Muslim country. That's why he was in Afghanistan on Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Thompson said. Mingazov subsequently fled to Pakistan during a US bombing raid, where he was captured by Americans. Mingazov no longer dances but enjoys Russian novels and poetry, Thompson said.

Amherst's resolution to take in cleared detainees 鈥� of which there are at least 60 out of the 215 held in the US camp for terrorism suspects 鈥� is a first for a US municipality, says Nancy Talanian, director of No More 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞s, a citizen organization founded this year to support President Obama鈥檚 plan to close the 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 facility in Cuba.

That plan, which Mr. Obama announced in January upon taking office, is contentious. Though the 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 prison camp is derided in the international community as a symbol of American contempt for justice and the law, at home it is seen by many as a sign of resolve to keep the nation safe. Congress in May overwhelmingly voted against approving $80 million in funding requested by the Obama administration to close the camp. In late October, as part of a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, Congress approved by wide margins a measure stating that 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 detainees could be shipped to US soil only to be prosecuted for their suspected crimes, not for resettlement purposes.

Arguing in support of the resolution Wednesday night, select board member Gerry Weiss compared Amherst with a town in occupied France that sheltered 5,000 Jewish people during World War II. Town meeting member Carol Gray projected photos of 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 detainees who she says have been wrongfully imprisoned 鈥� including an Al Jazeera cameraman and boys captured when they were 16 or 17 years old.

鈥淧eople are being held for six, seven years without trials. Even the Nazis had trials,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is an outrage.鈥�

But the chairwoman of the select board, Stephanie O鈥橩eeffe, had reservations about the resolution. She said she had received a phone call from a University of Massachusetts official who told her that parents of college students will be concerned for their children鈥檚 safety if detainees from 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 settle in Amherst. Ms. O鈥橩eefe also spoke to a woman who promised to strike Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts off her son鈥檚 college application list if the resolution passed.

The resolution 鈥渋s being portrayed as making Amherst a safe haven for terrorists,鈥� O鈥橩eeffe said. 鈥淭he way it is being perceived is bad for our reputation.鈥�

Town meeting member Stanley Gawle also did not support the resolution. He said he will start carrying a gun if anyone from 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 actually moves to Amherst.

鈥淭hat will give me a reason to carry it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel that our government is in a hurry to clear 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 out, and I have reservations about how thorough the clearing process is going to be.鈥�

Amherst, like other left-leaning college towns, is not shy about putting in its two cents' worth concerning US foreign policy and other clearly federal matters. In 2006, the town considered resolutions to urge the US government to pursue diplomacy with Iran, to immediately bring troops home from Iraq, to act to stop the genocide in Darfur, and to impeach President Bush. All were approved, and the resolution to impeach Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney passed 85 to 29.

Though more than 60 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 detainees have been cleared for release by the Pentagon, they remain in US custody because it is deemed unsafe for them to return to their home countries and no other country will accept them, says Joanne Mariner, director of the counterterrorism program at Human Rights Watch.

Amherst鈥檚 resolution is significant because Congress's unwillingness to resettle the cleared 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 detainees on American soil makes it difficult for European governments to accept them, says Ms. Mariner.

鈥淚n terms of a statement of public willingness, I think it鈥檚 quite important,鈥� she says of Amherst's resolution. 鈥淭he best way to convince European countries to take more detainees would be for us to take a few ourselves.鈥�

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See also:

Supreme Court to hear appeal of Uighurs still at 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞

Obama endorses military commissions for 骋耻补苍迟谩苍补尘辞 detainees

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