03.18.11

Durbin, Kirk Ask Attorney General to Clearly State that No Prisoners from Guantanamo Bay Will Be Transferred to Thomson

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today asked Attorney General, Eric Holder, to clearly state that his Administration has no intention of transferring prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson Correctional Center so that Congress can focus its efforts on acquiring and operating Thomson as a maximum-security federal prison. The activation of Thomson Correctional Center by the federal government is expected to create more than 1,100 jobs and inject at least $1 billion into the region’s economy.

 

“We write today to ask you to clarify that the Thomson Correctional Center in Carroll County, Illinois, will be opened and operated as a federal maximum security prison and will be used only for prisoners in the federal Bureau of Prisons system,” wrote Durbin and Kirk. “In short, we seek your written commitment that no suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere overseas will be transferred to the Thomson Correctional Center so that Congress can focus its efforts on acquiring and operating Thomson as a maximum-security federal prison.”

 

[Text of the letter below]

 

March 18, 2011

 

The Honorable Eric Holder
Attorney General
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530

 

Dear Attorney General Holder:

 

We write today to ask you to clarify that the Thomson Correctional Center in Carroll County, Illinois, will be opened and operated as a federal maximum security prison and will be used only for prisoners in the federal Bureau of Prisons system. In short, we seek your written commitment that no suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere overseas will be transferred to the Thomson Correctional Center so that Congress can focus its efforts on acquiring and operating Thomson as a maximum-security federal prison.

 

As you know, the State of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Justice/Bureau of Prisons continue to negotiate over the purchase of Thomson for use as a federal maximum security prison. Governor Quinn informed us during an Illinois Congressional Delegation meeting yesterday that both sides have made significant progress and that a purchase agreement is imminent.

 

We strongly support this project as do other bipartisan members of the Illinois/Iowa Congressional Delegations. The sale of Thomson enjoys broad-based local and state support and will lead to significant job creation, more than 1,100 jobs, and economic development in the region. The Bureau of Prisons believes that the acquisition of Thomson will help alleviate serious federal prison overcrowding, currently running as high as 50 percent over rated capacity, and help increase the safety of the system’s prison guards.

 

We were pleased at the inclusion of nearly $67 million for second year activation costs for Thomson and its 1,600 cells in the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget. This builds upon the President’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget request of $237 million for the acquisition, upgrade and operation of Thomson in the federal prison system.

 

As you know, Congress has not yet completed the current year spending bills and is operating under a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) in order to fund government operations. We will continue to work to include funding for the acquisition of Thomson exclusively for use as a federal maximum security prison.

 

We look forward to your reply and clarification of the points outlined above. We stand ready to work with you to ensure that the federal government has the funds necessary to purchase and activate the Thomson Correctional Facility from the State of Illinois as soon as possible.

 

Sincerely,