CQ TODAY PRINT EDITION
May 19, 2009 – 8:47 p.m.
Levin Is Open to ‘Guantánamo North’ in Michigan
By Josh Rogin, CQ Staff
Most lawmakers view the prospect of moving prisoners from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to their districts as a negative proposition. But at least one Democratic senator is open to the idea as a potential economic boost to his struggling state.
Carl Levin , chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said that construction and staffing at a new maximum-security prison in Michigan could help his cash-starved state.
“If the governor and the local officials are open to it, that’s something that should be considered,” said Levin, making the point that each state should make its own determination.
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler, a Republican, suggested this month that creating a “Guantánamo North” in the Upper Peninsula could net the state upward of $1 billion per year, according to reports.
Other Senate Democrats have backed away from their initial openness to bringing some Guantánamo prisoners to U.S. soil, and Senate leaders agreed to drop funding that President Obama requested to close the prison from the fiscal 2009 supplemental appropriations bill (
But many still argue that holding alleged terrorists in U.S. prisons is not a security problem.
“We are already holding some of the most dangerous terrorists within the United States,” said Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin , D-Ill. “If we can safely hold these individuals, we can safely hold the Guantánamo detainees.”
Even Levin’s Republican counterpart on the committee, John McCain of Arizona, said he was open to the possibility of moving Guantánamo detainees to secure facilities in the United States, saying, “It depends on the circumstances.”
But McCain said the issue has been muddied by the public perception that the administration would release dangerous prisoners to walk the streets in U.S. neighborhoods. “Whether that’s accurate or inaccurate, that’s the impression that the American people have,” McCain said.
Comments
Listen to Carl, Harry Reid!
Yes! Put the in "da UP" - my god, does anyone think that Middle Eastern (accused) terrorists have no chance of escape from a secure facility that gets 20+ feet of snow a year? This is the best idea I have heard. All of those idiotic (no other word works as well) scaredy-cats can shell out billions of "stimulus" dollars for the Upper Peninsula folks to build a Supermax prison and help the Michiganders.
I'm in Carl Levin's state and I'm proud of him. This rank fear of prisoners is ridiculous. They're only men and they're prisoners. They won't be escaping from any kind of maximum security prison that they might be put in. Michigan needs the income, but I have to say that it's too bad if we have to build a new one when there's a brand new empty one in a town in Montana that wants the job and also needs the jobs badly. This has been played into a giant fear thing for political motives as the Republican party continues to try to justify everything the Bush administration did. I'm kind of embarrassed that Harry Reid took the bait. It's beneath him. This is not a country of cowards even though we've been acting like it here at home for the past eight years. Dick Cheney got scared to death and he spread it around like a poison.
No kidding. Michigan needs whatever it can get, and Reid's assertion that "Moving them would mean releasing them" is utterly asinine.
Every courageous Blue State senator should take this opportunity to take the upper hand in the national security strength debate, and say "yes, we'll take them." Really? Just TRY and break out of ADMAX, or Corcoran, or Attica. Too scared, Leavenworth, KS? Beaumont, TX? We'll take care of it.....
When did President Obama or anyone suggest that prisoners get released? As mcc said, Harry, listen to Carl!
I am from the U.P. First, we do not need more prisons in the Upper Peninsula. There are already too many. We have the highest prison population of any country. Not to mention the fact that some of these prisoner's are victims of our Democracy. Second, the best part of the U.P. is that 3/4 of America does not know where it is and is still untouched. Leave it that way.
If he does bring them to Michigan, he will not ever be elected here ever again.
Good call, we have worse people than some of the one in GITMO in prison in the states, why not.
"But McCain said the issue has been muddied by the public perception that the administration would release dangerous prisoners to walk the streets in U.S. neighborhoods. "Whether that's accurate or inaccurate, that's the impression that the American people have," McCain said." Ummmmm... thats inaccurate. The only people that have suggested that terrorists would be "released" in the United States are the GOP strategists trying to gin up fear. So Sen. McCain, instead of playing to the GOP fearmongers, why dont you take a stand and say that you know this to be inaccurate. Have some damn conviction.
We've got Sirhan Sirhan and Manuel Noriega in jail for years and nobody busted them out. We had John Gotti until he died. We've got members of the Mexican Mafia, the Italian Mafia, the Russian Mafia, The Arion Brotherhood, the KKK, the American Black Muslims and on and on. These groups are violent, domestic, have extensive resources and access. The whole idea that moving these prisoners to continental US is any more dangerous then what is already here is nothing short of hestria and political cowardice.
This argument is ridiculous, as if they're all going to break out of the most secure prisons in the world and run amok in the US. Bring them to the US, if there's one thing we do right, it's keep people in prison. Gitmo North sure sounds good to me.
This is the best idea I have come across and I live in northern Michigan. Granholm has been a drag on the state finances and overtaxed businesses so much, they left the state. This simple move would benefit many. We have a secure system and do you really believe some Gitmo bozos would try to escape when they would freeze or starve? The UP, in areas, is barren and I highly doubt it would be possible for them to be "broken out by buddies". Any middle eastern appearing individual would stick out like a sore thumb. I am not implying racism, it's just that you normally only see caucasians and Native Americans in the UP. You must love extremes of nature to live and thrive up there. I have been there many times and you could travel for many miles without seeing another human. We need the tax base to fix northern Michigan. Since Granholm came into power, she has taken our money and spent it in Detroit while all us northerners' have been neglected and under funded. We need the funds, the jobs and the hope that we will survive and try to thrive while the auto industry takes our state down.
Well this is just like a politican, if these terrorists are going to be in jail anyway, just leave them in gitmo. lIf Obama is having a problem because of his campaign promise, just rename Gitmo. Why spend taxpayers money just to move them from one prison to another prison. Cuba is great, no one excapes from there.
I would rather have a congress-critter that was working towards the betterment of private sector than self-serving through the public sector. Problem is they will never get a trial or any consideration towards release. As long as Carl can keep them in prison he can make a case for creating jobs. Serve justice and get them out of prison (to where ever they need to be) and he loses the jobs for Michigan. I suppose we can use that same space for housing those right wing extremists that promote free market ideologies over socialism and serfdom.
POST A COMMENT
Oops! The following errors must be addressed: