Federal officials will travel to Standish, Michigan, on Thursday to tour a state prison that could be used to house terror suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.S. government officials said Wednesday.
The prison in Standish, Michigan, is slated for closure but would stay open if Guantanamo detainees are sent there.
Among those who will check out the facility, the officials said, will be representatives from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons.
One administration official stressed no decision has been made about where to relocate Guantanamo detainees. Multiple options are under consideration. That official added Thursday's visit is simply to gather information about the prison.
The prison in Standish is a maximum security facility slated for closure. Some local officials would like to see Guantanamo prisoners brought there as a way to keep the prison open and preserve jobs in an area with more than 20 percent unemployment. More at CNN
Republican Pete Hoekstra has promised to fight having Gitmo prisoners in Michigan. His
tweet:
If press reports on moving Gitmo detainees to Mich are accurate my answer is no. I will do everything possible to stop this.
Meanwhile, Sen. Carl Levin is for it and so is Standish. They want the jobs:
Give us Gitmo!
To the rest of the country, the 229 suspect Al Qaeda, Taliban and foreign fighters at Guantanamo Bay are terrorists.
To the men and women who work at the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility, they could be a meal ticket.
Unemployment is at more than 17% in Standish and residents say they would welcome a possible plan to relocate detainees from the soon-to-be shuttered Guantanamo Bay prison to the U.S.
"We'll take the most dangerous prisoners the world has to offer if we have to," corrections officer Paul Piche said Monday.
Read more at NYDN
