From the Walsh for Congress campaign:
Lake Zurich, IL, December 14, 2009 : Joe Walsh, Republican Candidate for Congress in the 8th Congressional district has announced his strong opposition to the Obama administration plan to move terrorist suspects from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Thomson, Illinois. The facility at Thomson, Illinois is an underutilized state prison that the state of Illinois has offered to the federal government for purchase.
“I am opposed to moving terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson, Illinois. This move is being touted as a great economic development issue for Illinois but I find it really pathetic that our state would be painted as so desperate for jobs that it would become the home to terrorists. The local impact on jobs is terribly overblown. This is a political move pure and simple. I am also concerned that the same stigma and international attention, mostly negative, could become focused on Northern Illinois,” said Walsh.
“I think there are many unanswered questions about the impact of this move on Illinois and the region. It is my understanding that Thomson, Illinois will have the distinction of housing the largest population of terrorist suspects in the country. There is also the unanswered questions about where these terrorists will be tried and whether or not they will be allowed visitors. I don’t think that this is what the state tourism bureau had in mind when looking for ways to boost tourism,” said Walsh.
“Finally, I do not think that Guantanamo Bay should be closed in the first place. The real reason the facility is being closed is because of the stigma attached to it by the rest of the world and the political mileage gained by closing it. We’re at war…the rest of the world shouldn’t be dictating to us where we house terrorist suspects, and is this stigma going to be following the terrorists to Illinois? I guess we will find out,” said Walsh.
Contact: helene@joewalshforcongress.com
http://walshforcongress.com/