奥巴马政府官员表示，联邦政府将在美国伊利诺伊州一个边远小镇购置一座监狱，用于安置大约100名目前关在古巴关塔纳摩湾监狱的在押犯。有关决定预计将于星期二正式宣布。
有关官员说，作为关闭关塔那摩湾努力的一部分，奥巴马总统下令联邦政府购置汤姆森惩戒中心。小镇汤姆森，地点位于芝加哥西部约240公里处。这座监狱总共有1千600个牢房，2001年建成，当初修建这座监狱是用于关押那些需要最严加看守的犯人，但这座监狱基本上空置着。
伊利诺伊州现任州长帕特·奎因和伊利诺伊州联邦参议员、民主党议员理查德·德宾过去几个月来，一直在努力促使联邦政府购置这座监狱，并且表示，这将给当地创造数千个急需的就业机会。
汤姆森镇长赫贝勒对美国之音说，这将大力提振当地急需发展的经济，在未来四年创造约3000个就业机会和估计10亿美元的收入。虽然一些当地居民欢迎这项决定，有些居民对一些恐怖分子嫌疑人关押在当地的监狱表示非常担忧。
An Obama administration official says the federal government is to acquire a state prison in rural (northern state of) Illinois to house about 100 detainees from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.A formal announcement is expected Tuesday.
Officials say President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to acquire the Thomson Correctional Center as part of efforts to close Guantanamo.In the small town of Thomson, some 220 kilometers west of Chicago, the 1,600-cell prison was built in 2001 to house maximum security inmates, but is nearly empty.
For months, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. Senator Richard Durbin have been promoting a federal purchase of the prison, saying it would create thousands of badly needed jobs in the area.
Village president (municipal leader) Jerry “Duke” Hebeler recently told VOA the move would give a much needed boost to local economy, bringing some 3,000 jobs and an estimated $1 billion in revenue over four years. While some residents welcome the move, others have expressed serious concerns about suspected terrorists being housed in the prison.