Governors Unwilling to Take Gitmo Detainees

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2009 11:09 AM CDT
Governors Unwilling to Take Gitmo Detainees
The entrance to the Two Rivers Detention Center in Hardin, Mont. The jail has sat empty in the two years since it was built, and Hardin officials have proposed that it house the terrorism detainees.   (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Governors are more than a little reluctant to house Guantanamo Bay detainees in their state prisons, the Washington Times reports. The paper asked a variety of governors’ offices if they’d be willing to take the prisoners, including those from states whose congressmen support the idea of shutting Gitmo. Almost all took days or weeks to respond, and none said yes.

Vermont said its prisons were overcrowded. Michigan, on the other hand, has many empty prisons, but a spokeswoman for Gov. Granholm said it was “not something that we are pursuing. End of story.” Many offices simply refused to comment. A recent AP poll shows the public is divided on the issue, with 47% favoring closing the prison, and 47% opposing. (More Guantanamo Bay stories.)

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