LAMBORN FEARS GUANTANAMO DETAINEES MAY BE SENT HERE

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 14, 2008 | by TOM ROEDER

Colorado Springs' congressman fears closing the prison housing terror suspects at the Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could result in their being transferred to Colorado.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, a first-term Republican, toured the military prison Friday and said afterward he doesn't want the 250 detainees there moved to federal prisons, including the high-security Supermax in Florence, south of Colorado Springs.

"There are some people here who are bent on destroying our way of life," Lamborn said in a phone interview, referring to the "enemy combatants" captured during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday restated his desire to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, a day after a Supreme Court ruling allowed detainees to challenge their captivity in federal courts.

As the administration considers alternatives to Guantanamo Bay, Lamborn fears they'll set their sights on Florence and the prison where a number of convicted terrorists, including Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski and 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, are incarcerated.

"I don't want that happening under any circumstance," Lamborn said.

Lamborn has no specific information on moving the prisoners, but he said Supermax is a logical site for relocation if Guantanamo is closed.

The federal Bureau of Prisons said Friday that while it has been successful at keeping terrorists behind bars, the agency isn't relishing the thought that 250 detainees could be dumped in their system.

"Obviously it would be a challenge to any correctional system to handle a large number of enemy combatants," Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Traci Billingsley said.

The inmates at Guantanamo might be happier if they stay put, Lamborn said.

At Supermax, inmates are on lockdown in their cells for 23 hours per day and are segregated from the rest of the prison population. At Guantanamo, some inmates live in a more communal environment and the living conditions look comfortable, Lamborn said after the tour.

"They are being treated better here than Supermax," he said.

In lock step with the administration, Lamborn said he's also worried about Thursday's Supreme Court decision. He said the 5-4 ruling could hamper antiterrorism efforts.

"We're going to give rights to detainees who are unlawful combatants," he said.

There is disagreement on that point within the Colorado delegation.

Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, a candidate for U.S. Senate, issued a statement praising the Supreme Court decision.

"This ruling will ensure that at least 250 detainees at Guantanamo Bay who have been held without a hearing for as long as six years will have the opportunity to establish their innocence," he said.