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Officials inspect Illinois jail for Gitmo inmates

Posted by Nouman Chughtai on Monday, November 16, 2009


THOMSON, Illinois — Officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Defense arrived Monday at the Thomson Correctional Facility, 150 miles west of Chicago, to tour the nearly empty prison that could be purchased to house more than 200 detainees from Guantanamo Bay.
Federal officials also are considering a facility in Florence, Colo., and a site in Hardin, Mont.
And Michigan officials say they're still in the running for the job.

OPTIONS: Illinois eyed for Gitmo inmates
DETAINEES: Dozens finally get day in court
IN N.Y.: Death penalty sought for 9/11 defendants
"We've had no indication that a decision of any kind has been made," Liz Boyd, Gov. Jennifer Granholm's spokeswoman, said Sunday.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin say the potential sale of the Thomson prison could create about 3,000 jobs in the economically depressed area.
But critics, including Republican members of Congress from Illinois, have been quick to condemn the prospect of the sale because of safety concerns.
And Granholm has stopped short of endorsing the idea of housing the detainees in Michigan, citing security concerns.
In August, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons toured the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility in northeast Michigan. That 600-bed facility closed Oct. 31 because of state budget cuts.
Standish officials have been lobbying to use the empty prison to house federal and out-of-state prisoners.
Michigan state Sen. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, an outspoken critic of housing Guantánamo prisoners in the U.S., said "I hope that the people of the state of Illinois fight with every bit of energy that they have to make sure that doesn't happen."
He said "the moment you bring these prisoners into the United States you grant all sorts of constitutional rights that we have, and they don't deserve it."
Meanwhile, the decision announced Friday by Attorney General Eric Holder that accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices would stand trial in New York was met with blistering critiques on Sunday.
"Unconscionable," declared Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "Dangerous," said former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. "An unnecessary risk," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Democrat Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia called Friday's decision to move Mohammed would from Guantanamo Bay misguided, saying war criminals "do not belong in our courts."
For Obama, the decision marks a crucial step toward fulfilling his campaign pledge to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, a stark reversal of Bush administration policy.
"The president believes it is important to get it done and to end this chapter in our history," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.

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