 The maximum-security Thomson Correctional Facility, about 150 miles
west of Chicago, was one of several evaluated by the Federal Bureau
of Prisons, and emerged as a leading option to house the detainees,
the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity
because a decision has not been made.President Barack Obama wants
alleged terrorism suspects from the controversial military-run
detention center in Cuba to be transferred to U.S. soil so they can
be prosecuted for their suspected crimes.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has been hinting at a possible new use
for Thomson, and he issued a statement saying he would hold a news
conference Sunday to outline those plans.
Quinn's spokeswoman Marlena Jentz did not return a phone message
from the AP on Saturday.
Thomson was built by the state in 2001 with 1,600 cells, but
budget problems prevented it from fully opening, and it now houses
about 200 minimum-security inmates.
It is unclear how many Guantanamo detainees -- many held without
charges since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan -- would be
transferred to Illinois or when. Obama initially planned to close
the Guantanamo Bay prison by Jan. 22, but the administration is no
longer expected to meet that deadline.
If the Federal Bureau of Prisons buys the facility, it would be
run primarily as a federal prison, but a portion would be leased to
the Defense Department to house a limited number of Guantanamo
detainees, the White House official said. Perimeter security at the
site would be increased to surpass that at the nation's only
supermax prison, in Florence, Colo., the official said.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate's second-highest-ranking
Democrat, said in a statement Saturday he would support the plan. He
said the prison would house fewer than 100 Guantanamo detainees and
would have a "significant positive impact on the local economy" by
generating more than 3,000 jobs.
Thomson Village President Jerry Hebeler said the move would
generate desperately needed revenue for the town of about 500
residents near the Mississippi River.
"It's been sitting there for eight to nine years and our town is
like a ghost town," Hebeler said of the prison, adding that a tavern
recently closed and a planned housing development fell through.
"Everybody moved or got different jobs," he said.
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Some lawmakers opposed the idea of terrorism suspects being brought
to Illinois.
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Northbrook Republican running for Obama's
old Senate seat, circulated a letter among elected officials asking
them to write to Obama opposing the plan, saying bringing Guantanamo
prisoners to the state would make it a target for terrorist attacks.
U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, whose district includes Thomson, said he
adamantly opposed the proposal and that he has consistently joined
with a majority of his colleagues "in fighting efforts to bring
these terrorists onto our shores ... where they could one day be
released into our communities."
Guantanamo Bay "is set up to house these dangerous terrorists,
and they should stay there," said Manzullo, an Egan Republican who
serves on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism,
Nonproliferation and Trade.
Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, said Kirk and other
Republicans were "pandering to irrational fears" and that closing
the Guantanamo Bay facility would strengthen national security
because al-Qaida used it as a recruiting tool.
Phone and e-mail messages left with Jim O'Connor, a spokesman for
Illinois Sen. Roland Burris, were not immediately returned.
Thomson is not the only U.S. town that had hoped to lure
Guantanamo detainees. Officials in Marion, Ill., Hardin, Mont., and
Florence, Colo., also have said they would welcome the jobs that
would be generated.
[Associated Press;
By TAMMY WEBBER]
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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