Pat Quinn, Dick Durbin Try To Build Support For Gitmo Inmates' Relocation To Thomson Prison In Illinois

CHICAGO — Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Sunday tried to build support and counter criticism of a proposal to sell a prison in rural northwestern Illinois to the federal government to house Guantanamo Bay detainees and other inmates.

Federal officials are expected to visit the maximum security Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles west of Chicago, on Monday.

Both Quinn and Durbin said the possibility of selling the prison to the federal government was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help create about 3,000 jobs, both at the prison and directly in surrounding communities in an area where unemployment has topped 10 percent.

"We have an opportunity to bring thousands of good-paying jobs to Illinois when we need them the most," Durbin said at a news conference in Chicago, one of several Illinois stops Sunday. "We have an opportunity to bring them to a part of our state that has been struggling and that's an opportunity we are not going to miss."

Critics, including Republican members of Congress from Illinois and GOP candidates for governor, have been quick to condemn the prospect of the sale because of safety concerns.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna said Quinn's plan to cut spending and create jobs includes bringing "terrorists to Illinois."

"I wholeheartedly oppose Governor Quinn and President Obama's efforts to move Gitmo detainees to our neighborhoods," McKenna said in a statement.

The plan to consider using the Thomson facility was first reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Story continues below

advertisement

Thomson has been largely vacant since its construction in 2001 because of budget problems. The prison was built with 1,600 cells, but only about 200 minimum security inmates are held there.

Durbin brushed off security concerns, saying convicted terrorists are already incarcerated in federal prisons without incident.

He said fewer than 100 of the inmates at Thomson would be Guantanamo Bay detainees if the Federal Bureau of Prisons buys the facility. Federal officials would even erect a more secure perimeter around the prison to beef up security, he added.

"We're here today to let the people know we're not going to let the fearmongers carry the day," Quinn said. "We're going to do things right, the Illinois way."

President Barack Obama's administration wants to close Guantanamo Bay, a military run detention center in Cuba, and move the detainees to the U.S. so they can be prosecuted for their suspected crimes.

The detainees are alleged terrorism suspects who have been held often without charges since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

Local and state officials will be at Thomson on Monday for an inspection by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Department of Defense representatives.

U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, a Republican whose district includes Thomson Correctional Center, was invited to Monday's meeting with federal officials at the prison but he did not plan to attend, his spokesman Rich Carter said Sunday.

Manzullo said he adamantly opposes the proposal, despite the jobs it would bring to the area.

Federal officials were considering Thomson along with a facility in Florence, Colorado and a site in Hardin, Montana.

Some 215 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, and Durbin says the administration has talked to other countries about taking some of them.

Durbin said he didn't know when the Obama administration would decide, but hoped Illinois would have an advantage because of Obama's connection to the state.

"He understands this part of our state, he knows the state of the economy there," Durbin said.

Quinn said he talked to Obama about a prison deal regarding Thomson during a recent trip to Washington

Jack Lavin, a top aide to Quinn, said Quinn does not need legislative approval to sell the prison property. But the legislature would get involved when it comes to awarding jurisdiction if it becomes a federal prison.

Thomson Village Board President Jerry Hebeler lobbied Quinn to consider selling the prison to the federal government to help rejuvenate the area that has suffered because the prison never fully opened.

"After eight years of living in limbo, we are open to any and all alternatives," Hebeler said.

Reaction from some residents of the tiny village of about 500 people, has been generally positive.

Craig Mathers, superintendent of the West Carroll School District, which includes Thomson, attended a candidate forum where Quinn was speaking Sunday so that he could get more information.

"I'm not too worried about safety and security because it was built as a maximum-security prison," Mathers said. "I'm more concerned about whether to prepare for an additional 250 students showing up on my doorstep next August."

___

Associated Press Writers Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Christopher Wills in Rockford, Ill., contributed to this story.

Comments

[ehminn]

Having grown up in the area, I am aware of the need for jobs. I, unfortunately, need to stand on my soap-box. I want to scream "Not in my backyard". There are 2 dams on the Mississippi in that area and alot of water traffic. And let's not forget the nuclear power plant in Cordoba, Savanna Army, and the Rock Island arsenal. These terrorists can ride up the river on a barge. There was nothing scarier to me than to drive along the river the week of 9/11. All was silent. Nothing moved. Barricades in front of every dam. No one on the river. All barge traffic stopped. Yes, a new prison is empty and not being used. (Poor budgeting). But let's think of all the surrounding area and people.

[bajed]

Okay so we bring them from GITMO to the U.S. to stand trial. Some get acquitted on technicalities and others get released because key evidence is deemed inadmissible and we have to keep them in prison anyways instead of releasing them into the U.S. because they are deemed a danger to our country. How does that make our justice system look then?

And then we have the current issue of understaffed federal prisons (especially Supermax) that hasn't been resolved in over half a decade. Employeeing correction officers for these facilities isnt as easy as many would seem to understand. The BOP has to conduct background checks that include age requirements, physical requirements, credit checks, law enforcement, and criminal background checks. Obviously in a town of 500 you are not going to be able to fill this requirement. So, how are you going to incentivize these individuals to move to a small town and be able to stay on par with the federal pay system with a starting pay for federal correction officers near 33,000 and 37,000 dollars (or around 15 dollars an hour before taxes)?

[OldBro70]

Planned and executed right, following an administration war plans that sent too few troops to fight a war that was going to be paid for by oil money, Whose primary cheerleader of the war declared that the "Insurgency is in it's last throes"

Now the voices who were quiet for 8 years of incompetence, now are calling for planned and executed with regards to incarcerate terrorists,

Bush/Chaney sure left some fearful citizens behind.

[jimmygee]

This is a no brainer from the git-go. This is not a safety issue, this is strictly political. "The party of no" just hate to say yes!

[OldBro70]

I remember some years back when the prison industries crowds were foaming at the mouths for more prisons to handle the increase in crimes committed by drug crazed criminals and no one was safe unless more prisons were built.

The law and order politicians advocated "lock em up and throw away the key." Now all of a sudden there are prisons that are under utilized.

I guess in some cases the expression from the movie"Fields of Dreams, If you build it they will come" didn't work out as they hoped it would.

Now some politicians are against using the prisons to bring jobs to distressed areas of the country,
what a revolting development this is.

[wadenelson1]

Have they got bumper stickers?

BRING A TERRORIST TO ILLINOIS

[Jazzcomedian]

This is the perfect solution. Problem solved.

[oldguydude]

Other than San Francisco, I think Illinois is a great place for the GITMO crowd.

[kimleehan]

The prison which is in a town of 500 population will employ 3000 workers to take care of only 215 inmates, 3 shifts = 1000 guards, thats over 4 guards per inmate, each guard earning say $50,000 a year. Were do I apply.?

[Badfickle]

The right is full of cow@rds. Afraid to go war but eager to send other people. Afraid of change. Afraid of gays. Afraid of a black president. Afraid of men in chains who will live in a 6x8 cell for life.

[floridagal]

Afraid of health care. Afraid of immigrants. Afraid of intelligence. Afraid of science. Afraid of truth.

[Badfickle]

ACK!! I'm afraid! I'm going to go huddle in the basement and listen to Rush so he can tell me how the boogieman is going to come get me next.

[Chicago48]

Manzullo is smoking LSD if he thinks the Gitmo prisoners are a "threat." The Mexican gangs are a bigger threat.

[bajed]

How did you come to that conclusion?

[jaxon41]

Oh, Manzullo's district has them, too. Word on the street is they were used as mules by the Albanian Kosovars -- folks aren't so much worried about a break out as they are about what may come in.

[Goosed]

I have no problems with relocating the detainees to prisons, but shouldn't they put them in a prison with some experience behind it? A place like ADX Florence is staffed with people who have years of experience, a solid routine, and are familiar with all the building's vulnerabilities.

I understand they're not superheros. The odds of something going wrong at Thomson are remote. Thomson is probably more secure than the improvised facilities at Gitmo. But the backlash from something going wrong would be so huge that I'm surprised they're taking a risk, however slight.

[hellboundtrain]

So just how many empty prisons dot the landscape waiting to be filled up? With whom? I thought that many of the prisons were full and over-crowded.

[chedet]

I'm so upset now. I thought the gitmo prisoners are going to be send to Crawford, Tx. They'll fit very well with the Bushes.

[TN60]

LOL....Had­n't thought of that, but what a great solution or maybe a half way house set up in Bush's Houston millionaire row neightborhood.

[Baukunin]

I'm fairly sure that this reporter is wrong about any consideration for Hardin, Montana. I'm not aware of any federal official who has ever considered using that badly designed, remote, unstaffable jail for anything. It has never had a workforce and couldn't raise one. It's been empty for 28 months. It would hold almost all of its prisoners in 24-bed cells, wholly unsuitable for this detainee population, or anything but minimum security, transient or short term inmates.

[zombywulf]

It would however be a good place to lockup criminal illegal aliens, before deporting them.

[bajed]

How successful do you think the FBOP would be in recruiting Arabic translators with intelligence experience to work in Thomson-one of the key security deficiencies in Colorado Supermax?