No Guantanamo detainees to be released on US soil
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The U.S. government has no intention to release detainees held in the Guantanamo Bay prison on the U.S. soil, government officials clarified on Tuesday.
"The president has no intention of releasing any detainees in the United States," said a letter signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The letter was addressed to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, whose state was expected to receive some Guantanamo detainees in a local prison.
"Current law effectively bars the release of the Guantanamo detainees on U.S. soil, and the federal government has broad authority under current law to detain individuals during removal proceedings and pending the execution of final removal orders."
The U.S. government approved the purchase of the Thomson Correctional Center, which has remained empty since it was built eight years ago, to home an uncertain number of detainees currently held in the Guantanamo prison.
The deal was a result of strong lobbying efforts by Illinois state government and lawmakers, assuring the nation that the terrorist suspects could be held "safely and securely" in the facility.
Earlier local news reports said that the purchase of the prison could create an estimated 2,340 to 3,250 direct and indirect jobs for the state, and bring about 790 million U.S. dollars to 1.1 billion dollars into the local economy over four years.
It was also welcomed by the federal government.
"Not only will this help address the urgent overcrowding problem at our nation's federal prisons, but it will also help achieve our goal of closing the detention center at Guantanamo in a timely, secure, and lawful manner," said the letter by Clinton and Gates.
According to the government officials, the Department of Justice would acquire the prison "primarily to house federal inmates," to address current overcrowding issues in the U.S. prison system, and the Defense Department will operate separately part of the facility to house a limited number of detainees from Guantanamo."
President Barack Obama ordered to close the controversial Guantanamo prison by Jan. 22, 2010, where there are still about 200 inmates held.
Concerns were triggered last month after the Obama administration announced that it will put on trial some top terrorist suspects at a federal civil court in New York.
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