The White House will announce Tuesday plans to move some Guantanamo Bay prisoners to a facility in the rural town of Thomson, Illinois, news organizations including the Associated Press and Talking Points Memo confirmed.
The deadline for President Obama’s promise to shut down the controversial Guantanamo detention facility within a year is rapidly approaching. The President made his pledge last January 21, 2009.
The choice is not a comple surprise. In November 2009, Chicago Breaking News reported that residents of Thomson, Illinois would ‘welcome idea of Gitmo detainees’ arrival.’ Thomson, Illinois is the site of the controversial $145 milion maximum security Thomas Correctional Center, which locals lamented was "wasting away."
The Thomson Correctional Center currently houses 150 prisoners, but has a capacity of 1,600 cells.
Thomson is a town of just 559 people according to the 2000 census, and is suffering from extreme unemployment. The correctional facility was built with the goal to improve the economic environment.