Rhetoric engulfing a push to move Guantanamo Bay detainees to a western Illinois prison has muddied a very real debate over national security versus hundreds of jobs for a depressed region.

Proponents have characterized the plan as a no-brainer, win-win for Illinois. They say the rural community of Thomson will be awash in high-paying work with no risk to general safety. Opponents have labeled the move a threat to national security that will have terrorists focusing on the Chicago area for a major attack.

At the same time, it remains unclear whether the move will ever come to fruition or even who has the final say.

Here is a breakdown of the debate, the facts behind the noise and where it goes from here:

The basic facts

It's unclear how many Gitmo detainees would be shipped to the nearly vacant Thomson Correctional Facility. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has said fewer than 100, but there is no guarantee more wouldn't be moved there as part of the plan. Gitmo currently houses about 215. The fundamentals of the deal include the federal government buying the $140 million Thomson prison, leasing a separate section to the Defense Department for detainees and filling the rest of the 1,600 cells with regular federal inmates.

A threat to security?

Yes

The Chicago area is already a potential terrorist target given its concentration of people and landmarks. Bringing Gitmo detainees would only move it up the list for terrorists wanting to bring attention to the combatants in a western Illinois prison, opponents say. The contention is hard to prove or disprove with much certainty. Internationally, terrorists have in the past committed acts with the goal of freeing imprisoned associates.

While there are terrorists in Illinois and other prisons nationally, opponents argue a high concentration of Gitmo detainees would draw extra risk. Critics also have suggested there would be a chance terrorists could come to visit Gitmo detainees or that those detainees could recruit from regular inmates in the prison.

Plus, they are concerned trials would be held in the Chicago area or at the base, drawing even more attention. Military tribunals for some detainees at the prison have not been ruled out.

No

Prisons in Illinois are already home to about 35 inmates with international or domestic terrorists ties, including al-Qaida sleeper agent Ali al-Marri. Nationally, about 340 prisoners have such links and none have drawn terrorist attacks. There is also a history of holding prisoners of war on American soil, with more than 400,000 soldiers from battlefields in World War II taken to U.S. facilities.

As for prison security, the Obama administration says no visitors, aside from approved attorneys, would be allowed to visit the detainees in Thomson. The detainees would be in a self-contained section of the prison and would have no interaction with the regular prison population, the administration says. Federal authorities have promised to upgrade security measures at the prison to 'supermax' status, making it the most secure facility in the nation.

The Obama administration is still developing plans for trials. However, the administration says that under current policies, the suspects would be tried where their alleged crime was committed if in the United States, and not necessarily in nearby Rockford or Chicago.

An economic boon?

No

Even lawmakers who oppose moving Gitmo detainees to Thomson acknowledge it would create jobs and economic growth in a region that has high unemployment. But they argue employment projections are overblown and not worth the risk. U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, a Republican opposing the move, says the plans to finally fill the prison would create between 450 and 500 prison jobs that may not necessarily go directly to local workers. State officials said back in 1998, when the proposed prison was expected to have 1,000 cells, that it would create about 450 prison jobs. The detainees will be overseen by Department of Defense workers, including soldiers brought in from other parts of the country.

Yes

The Obama administration released an internal report that says the move, which includes placing regular federal inmates in the now virtually empty prison, would generate between 2,340 and 3,250 direct and indirect jobs. That figure includes jobs spurred in nearby businesses and at companies providing materials to the prison. The report claims the move would inject more than $1 billion into the region's economy over the first four years. Proponents also say the several hundred direct prison jobs are nothing to sneeze at for the local population. The entire town of Thomson has only about 500 residents. The national mean wage for a correction officer is about $58,000, according to federal statistics.

Politics

Identifying Thomson as a potential site to hold Gitmo detainees has sucked Illinois into the heart of a partisan debate over closing the controversial facility.

Obama has made closing Gitmo one of his top priorities and Republicans have essentially drawn a line in the sand, saying they will fight him every step of the way. Likewise, Illinois Republican members of the U.S. House have been the most vocal in opposing the move. U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park has been in front of the issue. He is running for Senate in a crowded GOP primary. On Friday, the Republican caucus demanded a briefing on the issue from the National Security Council.

Meanwhile, state Republicans have gotten into the fray, mostly siding with their Capitol Hill partners. However, Republican state Rep. Jim Sacia, whose western district comes near Thomson, is supporting the proposal. The former FBI agent says residents have nothing to fear and they need the jobs. Plus, former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson, an ex-member of the federal Sept. 11 commission, has come out in support of moving Gitmo detainees to Thomson.

Aside from Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrats have been largely quiet. Two local lawmakers from the Thomson area support the move as does U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston. But Democratic leaders in the General Assembly won't say where they stand, though they are not publicly fighting the idea. Suburban Democrats in the U.S. House are hard to pin down. U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Batavia hasn't taken a position. U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington says she opposes the deal without further assurances about security. She hasn't been involved in the negotiations or briefed about safety matters yet.

What now?

Not clear. There are a lot of roadblocks to this ever becoming reality.

At the state level: If Obama decides to move forward with Thomson, Quinn believes he can sell the facility without General Assembly approval. But he does concede he might have to turn to lawmakers for other legal issues, including closing the existing prison and transferring jurisdiction from the state to the feds.

While they lack the power to do anything about it, state Republican leaders are pushing hard for the measure to come to a vote. Lawmakers are not scheduled to return to session until early next year. Senate President John Cullerton doesn't believe the issue needs a vote in the General Assembly, his spokesman says.

A lot depends on exactly how the complex transaction is written. Forcing a vote in the General Assembly would put pressure to vote against it on lawmakers who face a general-election challenge. It would also expend the energy and clout of higher-up Democrats who have been more focused on taxes and budget matters.

At the federal level: Any proposal to move detainees to Illinois would require final approval from Congress as part of an overall package to close Gitmo.

Republicans have vowed to fight the proposal, but Democrats do hold majorities in both chambers. However, some Democrats are unlikely to support the measure, particularly when it looks like the GOP will make a strong challenge in dozens of districts next year.

The Obama administration has said they want a solid plan to close Gitmo by the end of the year, but they have also acknowledged that deadline may be blown.