A year ago, this state of the art prison was set to house prisoners from Pontiac.
Now, it could be home to terror suspects who have been kept out of this country in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn says, "We see an opportunity, a once in a lifetime opportunity for the people of Illinois."
The governor says opening Thomson could create 3-thousand jobs and a billion dollars for Northwestern Illinois over the first four years.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says, "A dream come true for that part of the state. Then, think of what those jobs lead to in terms of businesses, new schools, new hospitals, new libraries, new opportunities.
In the midst of this recession, this is the good news we've been waiting for and hoping for and now we need to capitalize on it."
Republican Congressman and U-S Senate candidate Mark Kirk doesn't want the detainees...citing safety concerns and the possibility Illinois could be a target for extremists.
But, it was Thomson's mayor who wrote a letter asking for the feds to take over the prison.
Thomson Village President Jerry Hebeler says, "I'd never chase jobs if I thought it would jeopardize the safety and security of my neighbors and friends."
Senator Durbin says there are more than 340 convicted terrorists currently serving time on U-S soil...the latest being former Bradley student Ali Al Marri.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says, "All of those spreading panic where the incarceration of terrorists should know Mr. Al Marri is in the Marion Prison and was incarcerated without any notice in the community."
Still, Senator Durbin says the feds plan extra security measures at the super-max facility which could house up to 16-hundred prisoners.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says, "The facts are clear no one ever in the history of the United States has escaped from one of these super-max facilities."
Besides Thomson which is about an hour north of the Quad Cities, the Federal government is also eyeing prisons in Colorado and Montana.
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