Pros and cons of having Gitmo prisoners in Thomson

SPRINGFIELD - As the Obama administration moves ahead with plans to potentially purchase a little-used new state prison in northwestern Illinois to house terrorist detainees when the Guantanamo Bay facility closes, the Daily Herald asked key supporters and opponents to explain their views.

U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, a Rockford-area Republican, has been an outspoken critic of the idea, saying safety issues outweigh any benefits. The prison site is in his district which stretches from the western suburbs across to the Mississippi River.

State Rep. Jim Sacia, a Pecotonica Republican, represents a district neighboring the Thomson prison area. The former FBI agent has been a strong supporter of opening the prison, citing the economic development it would bring.

U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo:

Q: Why is this a bad deal?

A: I've always been in favor of opening up that prison. It was built as a maximum-security prison for Illinois prisoners and it should be opened up for Illinois prisoners, especially in light of the fact that Gov. Pat Quinn has released 1,850 felons in early release. The state is drastically in need of the prison facility and if you just take half of the estimated economic growth, there's more than enough revenue coming in from sales tax and income tax to open Thomson center as a state-owned facility. So, Gov. Quinn is the one who should be looked at as stopping the opening of that prison.

Second of all, the problem we've had from the beginning is this. We've been advised that the reason for closing Guantanamo Bay is that it serves as a rallying point, a recruitment tool for al-Qaida in that al-Qaida hates venomously that facility. But Guantanamo Bay isn't closing. It's being moved. The personnel, the operation and the detainees are being moved to Thomson, IL. And so we asked the question - if we are moving Gitmo to the United States, what is to keep the hatred from transferring from Gitmo to Thomson, which is surrounded by melon fields, hay, corn and beans, as opposed to Gitmo which is surrounded by water and sharks? That's the threshold question.

Q: The federal prison in Marion has extremely bad people in it including convicted terrorists. Why would this be so much worse when Marion clearly hasn't had any problems?

A: In the entire federal prison system you maybe have 10 terrorists with international ties. The terrorists going to Thomson are all al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists who were detained for trying to kill Americans. The other ones are your shoe bomber, obviously trying to kill people aboard that airplane, but people that really don't have the international ties. So spread throughout Marion and Terre Haute, Indiana and the supermax in Florence Colorado are literally a handful of people with international ties. That's what distinguishes the terrorists that would be incarcerated at Thomson, Illinois.

Q: Given the way the state's going it doesn't look like that prison would open anytime soon. Aren't some jobs better than no jobs there?

A: But that's not the issue. The issue is you have to pass the threshold question of whether or not your kids are going to be safe. That's what (former Kansas governor now Obama cabinet member) Gov. (Kathleen) Sebelius said. She said, look we don't want these terrorists, not because they'll break out of Leavenworth, but because of the people they'll attract.

Rep. Jim Sacia

Q: Why is this a good deal?

A: Let me start with a little historical perspective. I was first elected some eight years ago. I've been in the legislature for seven years. Ever since that time one of my two most significant goals was the opening of Thomson prison. We have not had the funding to do that. The state is far worse financial shape today than it was seven, eight years ago. Accordingly, an opportunity to open that facility and utilize it for what it was exactly meant to be, and that is a maximum-security penitentiary, just makes complete common sense to me. There's two comments I'd like to make. Many try to make this a partisan issue. I don't see this as a partisan issue at all. I am a Republican. I know I hear all the time that many Republicans are against it. This is a matter of economic development and it makes perfect sense to open it.

The second thing is this community has been waiting for this facility to open. This community has literally suffered by virtue of the fact it never did open. And accordingly, I have no control whatsoever on a federal level whether or not the president closes Gitmo. My preference would be that it stayed open. ... If they're going to come to American soil, all I can say is 'bring 'em to Thomson.' We need the economic development and the facility is designed for that very thing.

Q: What do you say to the fears of terrorists now targeting Illinois?

A: As a retired FBI agent I am not even remotely concerned as many have expressed concern. I see it as a red herring that this is going to create all kinds of issues with al-Qaida, we're going to create hate for Thomson, we're going to create hate by these folks, al-Qaida for the entire state of Illinois. I spent 28 years of my life as an FBI agent. I have profound respect and confidence in my former agency and the CIA and other intelligence agencies and in law enforcement.

To further the fact, there are some 300-plus terrorists already incarcerated in federal penitentiaries. A good example is there's somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 at Marion, IL. There's approximately 40 at Terre Haute, Ind, right across the boarder. There are no problems housing these people.

Q: Critics say it should be opened as a state or federal prison, not home to terrorist detainees. Isn't that a better option?

A: If I were to have my druthers I wish it could have opened as a state facility. The reality is when I was elected eight years ago we couldn't afford to open it. We're in far worse financial shape now. We can't afford to open it. It sits there as a mausoleum in a cornfield. What a travesty for the second largest capital expenditure for a building in Illinois' history to sit there unused. And now we have the opportunity to use it exactly for what it was designed for.

Please understand, Congressman Manzullo is my congressman. He is my friend. I don't think we've ever been on opposite sides of an issue, but I am strongly on the opposite side of this issue and probably in large part because of my background, my years as an FBI agent.