Lawmakers discuss plan for Gitmo inmates in Illinois

By DEANNA BELLANDI
Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO (AP) -- Gov. Pat Quinn says selling a prison in rural northwest Illinois to the federal government is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create jobs in the struggling area.

But plans to sell the prison that would then be used to house some detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba is creating controversy because of safety concerns.

Federal officials are expected at Thomson Correctional Center on Monday to inspect the prison.

Quinn says Illinois is being considered along with at least two other cities in Colorado and Montana.

President Barack Obama wants alleged terrorism suspects from the military-run center to be transferred to U.S. soil so they can be prosecuted. The plan to use the Thomson facility, about 150 miles west of Chicago, was first reported by the Chicago Tribune.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)