Gitmo prisoners

THOMSON, Ill., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A prison in northwestern Illinois has been chosen to house up to 100 detainees currently held at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison.

Several media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, New York Times and The Washington Post, Tuesday cited an unnamed Obama administration official as saying the Thomson Correctional Center near Thomson, Ill., will be used to hold many of the prisoners still at Gitmo.

The decision helps the White House near its goal, stated last January, to have Guantanamo Bay closed within a year. Even with the use of the maximum-security prison in Illinois, that deadline is unlikely to be met.

Illinois officials sought to have the 1,600-bed Thomson Correctional Center used for the Gitmo detainees, saying it would provide the area with a boost in employment. Those against the plan said having suspected terrorists on U.S. soil would cause security issues, should prisoners escape or someone try to break them out of the facility.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he wanted Gitmo closed by January 2010 but is yet to find countries willing to take some of the prisoners and officials said others can't be returned to their home countries for fear they would be in danger.