The letter addressed to Biden and signed by 75 House Democrats, asked the White House to reduce the number of inmates detained in Guantanamo Bay occupied by the United States against the Cuban people´s will.

The prison at Guantanamo Bay is in poor condition, expensive and an embarrassment to the country in terms of human rights, the text read.

The Democrats also recalled that The controversial Cuba-based detention center was opened in 2002 by then-President George W. Bush to house alleged terrorists, and nearly 800 people have been held there in the time since.

Among signatories of the letter are top lawmakers such as House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff of California, House Foreign Affairs Chair Gregory Meeks of New York, House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith of Washington state, and House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler of New York.

pgh/Pll/msm / avr