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Thomson correctional center should not house Guantanamo detainees
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(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
For nearly eight years years the people in Thomson, Illinois and the surrounding area have waited for Thomson Correctional Center to open. Now, with the Obama administration's proposal to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that dream may be closer to a reality.
According to Fox News, the new Gitmo may actually be Thomson, Illinois. Democrats have indicated there is some interest by the White House in the utilizing the rural Illinois facility to house the most dangerous terrorists in the world. Democratic officials contend that opening the Thomson facility would create 3,000 jobs, and generate approximately $1 billion in economic output over four years. Sen. Dick Durbin-D-Ill, stated, "At a time when Illinois is facing recession ... this is a lifeline. This is an opportunity."
Republican Representative Mark Kirk countered Democratic claims by saying, "By moving the Al Qaeda core to Thomson along with 1,500 U.S. troops, the United States will publicly brand Illinois as the new Gitmo." Kirk was also informed by officials at the Pentagon that that the Bureau of Prisons estimates the plan would only generate between 450 and 500 extra jobs, with no preference given to local residents, according to Fox News. A study by the State of Illinois in 2008 found that fully opening Thomson would only generate a maximum of $47.5 million a year in new economic output, or $190 over four years.
The residents of this tiny community have been waiting eight years for this facility to open. In 2001, when the State announced that Thomson would be the site of a new prison a sense of euphoria came to the impoverished area. People opened hotels and prepared to open their hearts to the idea of the prison being an economic savior. Unfortunately, politics and state budgetary problems have kept the prison mostly closed. The Illinois Department of Corrections did move 120 minimum security prisoners to the facility in 2008.
Thomson was built for one purpose, to alleviate the rampant overcrowding at Illinois maximum security prisons. Selling the facility to the Federal government will do nothing to remedy those concerns. In fact, it will be saying to the citizens of Illinois that their safety, as well as, the safety of corrections employees is not important. Democrats should decide whether the safety of their constituents is more important than satisfying the political ambitions of a failing White House.
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