Michigan lawmakers want Gitmo detainees

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WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- Some Democratic lawmakers from Michigan are viewing the Guantanamo detainees as a possible means of boosting their state's finances, legislators say.

Several Democrat members in the U.S. House and Senate are floating the idea of housing detainees from the U.S. detention facility in Cuba in Michigan prisons set to close because of the state's budget crunch, The Hill reported Friday.

The move would save or create jobs in a state with the nation's highest unemployment rate of 15.4 percent.

Democratic Sen. Carl Levin and Reps. Bart Stupak and Dale Kildee say Michigan prisons could house the Gitmo detainees as long as nearby residents and state and local officials agreed to the move.

The Hill says the idea is opposed by most of the state's Republicans who cite safety concerns.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Select Intelligence Committee and a candidate for governor, says Michigan prisons can't provide the same protection as Gitmo, The Hill said