Illinois town divided on possible “Gitmo” relocation

The small town of Thomson, Illinois, known as “The Melon Capital of the World,” could soon get another nickname: “the new Guantanamo.”

According to the Washington Post, the city of less than 600 people is faced with a major decision to hold Guantanamo Bay terrorist suspects in the largely unused, Thomson Correctional Center. Read full article here.

The article stated the Obama administration wants to make good on its promise to shut Gitmo’s doors on Cuba and move inmates to a prison somewhere in the U.S. Officials informed Illinois leaders that a final decision will be made within four to six weeks.

The idea of moving the Guantanamo prisoners to the Thomson prison have left Illinois leaders split along party lines.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and six of his Republican colleagues have told the Obama administration “to stop any plan to transfer Al Qaeda terrorists to our state.”

Kirk, a candidate for Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat, wrote, “If your administration brings Al Qaeda terrorists to Illinois our state and the Chicago metropolitan area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization.”

However, Democrats Gov. Patrick Quinn and Sen. Richard J. Durbin disagree.

Durbin said he wants to see the “vastly underutilized” Thomson Correctional Center put to good use, especially in creating jobs in an area with a 10.5% unemployment rate.

“With up to 3,000 jobs on the line, this could be the biggest jobs creator in northwest Illinois since I’ve held elected office,” Durbin said.

According to the Washington Post, the $145 million prison has hardly used its 1,600 beds, and it only uses minimum security.

If the Thomson prison is selected, the facility would be renovated and furnished with better security, but the exact plans after a new Gitmo location is chosen is still uncertain.

While Republicans and Democrats remain divided over the issue, local residents are also unsure.

“I go back and forth. I would love to see prisoners here. That’s why it was built,” said real estate agent Jeannine Mills. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with having terrorists imprisoned here. I would like to get more informed, and reassured.”

Donna Opheim, manager of the Station diner, agreed with Durbin about the creation of new jobs.

“We’ve just been hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” she said.

Ron VenHuizen, a retiree, told the Washington Post, he hoped opening the Thomson prison for Guantanamo inmates would bring jobs to his grandsons, Marines returning home from Afghanistan.

He acknowledged the risks involved in bringing dangerous individuals inside the city, but said “the area needs a big boost.”

“There’s danger everywhere,” VenHuizen said. “I could walk here in the street and get run over.

Federal officials visited Thomson on Monday to look over the prison and have talks with political and business leaders.

Julie Hansen, president of the Thomson Chamber of Commerce, said officials told residents that friends and relatives were forbidden to visit the terror suspects, and the inmates would not be allowed to enter the community.

“My first thought was, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s scary,’ but I learned a lot of things at the meeting,” Hansen said. “Terrorists already exist around the country and are being housed in federal prisons all over.”

Other sites for Guantanamo Bay detainees are also under consideration in Montana and Colorado.