DENVER – Congressman Doug Lamborn sent a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper Friday asking the Democrat to testify before Congress about the risks of bringing prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to the United States, particularly to federal prisons in southern Colorado.

“I applaud your decision to listen to the people of Colorado and oppose any transfer of dangerous terrorists to our state,” Lamborn writes. “To better publicize the opposition to such transfers that we have in Colorado, I urge you to testify before Congress regarding the costs, risk and impacts such actions could have on the state of Colorado.”

Both Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet have said they oppose Guantanamo detainees in Colorado.

President Barack Obama plans to close the offshore prison despite efforts from Congress to prevent that from happening. Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado Springs, goes on in the letter to say he and two other Republican congressmen from Colorado are organizing a tour of Guantanamo Bay.

“Should you find such a trip useful as you continue to assess the local and state impact of these transfers, I would certainly welcome your attendance,” he writes. “Having toured Guantanamo Bay myself, I assure you that a firsthand perspective is invaluable.”

The Colorado General Assembly considered a mostly symbolic resolution last week opposing the transfer of detainees to Fremont County. The measure failed in the Democratic House after winning approval in the Republican dominated Senate.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE