Gitmo detainees coming to Illinois?

Big Government reports today on a leaked memo from Attorney General Eric Holder to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates ordering the relocation of terrorist prisoners at Guantanamo Detention Facility to Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois.  You can read the memo here.

Thomson is about 150 miles from Chicago.  Jake Tapper at ABC News reported that Thomson was a leading contender for the Gitmo transfer last month.  From his blog:

Local news reports (check out HERE and HERE) indicate that many residents near the facility are pleased with the economic boost that such a decision might bring the area.


But Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who is running for the Senate, is circulating a letter among other state officials that asks President Obama to not pick the facility.

"If your Administration brings Al Qaeda terrorists to Illinois, our state and the Chicago Metropolitan Area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization," Kirk writes. "Furthermore, since Thomson is located in the Northern District of Illinois, any civilian prosecution of Al Qaeda terrorists would occur in Rockford or downtown Chicago. As home to Americas tallest building, we should not invite Al Qaeda to make Illinois its number one target."

The Chicago Tribune picks up the story here.