Three conservatives urge detainee transfer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Three conservative leaders say they endorse the possible transfer of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison detainees to a penal institution in Illinois.

In a letter, 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nominee and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, American Conservative Union founder David Keene and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist said Sunday civilian prisons and courts are safe and appropriate places to handle suspected terrorists, The Hill reported Monday.

The trio specifically addressed claims that bringing Guantanamo Bay detainees to the U.S. mainland could enhance the possibility of a terrorist attack.

"The scaremongering about these issues should stop," the three wrote. "It makes sense for the community, which will benefit from the related employment and has absolutely no reason to fear that prisoners will escape or be released into their communities."

Meanwhile, Illinois officials say the possibility of housing Guantanamo Bay inmates would be a boon to the state's dismal economy.

Officials from the U.S. departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security and the federal Bureau of Prisons were scheduled to visit the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill., Monday, to check out the facility's suitability to house fewer than 100 Guantanamo Bay detainees, CNN reported Monday.

"This is something that is very good for our state, it's good for our economy, it's good for public safety," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn told reporters Sunday.

If the severely under-used 1,600-bed facility is determined to be up to the task, the governor and other officials said Sunday, it could provide up to 2,000 jobs and up to $1 billion in federal money to the area about 150 miles west of Chicago.