 The nearly empty
state-built lockup north of the Quad Cities had
been eyed as a destination for terror suspects when the U.S.
military's prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba closed. That has yet to
happen, but now there's word that Thomson will be bought regardless
of who will be housed there.U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and
northern Illinois congressman Don Manzullo, R-Ill., released a
letter late Monday that explained the federal Bureau of Prisons is
moving ahead with the sale and hopes to take over Thomson by the end
of the year.
Ronald Weich, an assistant attorney general, wrote both Durbin
and Manzullo that the federal government is standing behind its
commitment to buy the Thomson prison.
If Guantanamo Bay terror suspects are not brought to Illinois, or
anywhere else in the U.S., Thomson may be used for federal inmates
in other prisons across the country.
Gov. Pat Quinn's office released its own joint statement with
Durbin, saying the purchase of Thomson would be great news for that
area of northern Illinois.
The governor's office predicts "thousands of jobs" and a "$1
billion impact on the Illinois economy."
But there are a number of people who live near the prison who are
not excited about the prospect of bringing terrorists to the state.
Lawmakers in Springfield have also questioned the wisdom of the
sale.
Illinois built the Thomson prison back in 2001 to ease
overcrowding in state prisons. But budget cuts and political
in-fighting have kept the prison nearly empty.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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