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From Gitmo to Illinois?

Suzanne Ito,
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November 16, 2009

Over the weekend, an leaked word that the under-used Thomson Maximum Security Correction Center in Carroll County, Illinois, 150-miles west of Chicago, could be the new home of some of the remaining 200-plus prisoners at Gitmo. The

In 2001, the state completed construction of the $145 million maximum-security institution to house the most dangerous inmates. A state budget crisis has left the prison practically unused for eight years, though. The prison has 1,600 cells yet is holding only 144 inmates.

Federal government officials toured the facility this morning, the . Noting the potential positive economic impact on the small rural town, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn "called the plan an 'opportunity of a lifetime鈥 and [Sen. Richard] Durbin said the measure could bring in more than 3,000 jobs and potentially inject more than $1 billion into the local economy over the first four years of operation."

However, that some members of Congress may seek to block the transfer of detainees to U.S. soil by introducing amendments that would create obstacles in the transfer of the detainees. Stay tuned for developments.

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