Officials to inspect Ill jail for Gitmo inmates

Published: Monday, Nov. 16 2009 7:19 a.m. MST

From left, Gov. Quinn listens as Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), speaks flanked by Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, and State Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan during a news conference Sunday in Moline, Ill. regarding the Thomson Correctional Center and the possibility of the Obama administration using the facility to house federal prisoners, particularly, those formerly held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

John Greenwood, Associated Press

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Summary

THOMSON, Ill. (AP) — Federal officials are due to arrive in rural northwest Illinois to inspect a prison that could be bought by the federal government and used to house Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Defense are expected Monday at the Thomson Correctional Center. It's about 150 miles west of Chicago.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin say the potential sale could help 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.

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

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