U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran says his visit last week to U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was an “eye-opening experience.”

The Kansas Republican told Leavenworth community leaders in a telephone conference call Monday that visit reaffirmed his belief the detention facility is necessary.

Without elaborating, Moran says he received a high-level classified briefing while at the prison that showed its value for analyzing intelligence.

President Barack Obama submitted a plan last month for closing the prison to Congress, which quickly rejected the proposal. The plan was Obama’s attempt to make good on an unfulfilled campaign promise.

Moran told local officials who worry that detainees would be relocated to Fort Leavenworth that the president is legally prohibited from closing the Guantanamo detention facility and bringing them to the United States.