Stupak: Standish still under consideration for Gitmo detainees

Deb Price And Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News

Washington -- The maximum security prison in Standish "is still one of the locations being considered" for Guantanamo Bay detainees, Rep. Bart Stupak said today.

The Menominee Democrat, whose congressional district includes the prison slated for closing, was one of a several Michigan and White House officials who denied reports by news outlets and Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, that the White House is no longer looking at Standish as a place for the terror suspects once Gitmo is shut down.

Megan Brown, the deputy press secretary to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said, "We've been talking continuously to the White House and they have let us know that no decisions have been made." The White House said many options are being considered, signaling Standish has not been eliminated.

But Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee and a vocal opponent of Gitmo detainees ending up in Michigan, said he's "95 percent convinced" Standish is off the table after conversations with the Defense Department.

Federal officials have not contacted the state Department of Corrections since they toured the Standish facility in August, department spokesman Russ Marlan said.

"No one from the federal government has told us they are not interested in Standish -- however, they've never told us they are interested," Marlan said. "They've never asked for a proposal. They came and toured the facility, and we haven't heard from them since."

Standish City Manager Mike Moran said he last spoke with federal officials about a month and a half ago, but has been informed by Stupak's office that Standish is still under consideration for Gitmo detainees.

"It's not true," Moran said of reports Standish is no longer an option. "Standish is still being considered. Whatever rumor and whatever you're hearing, I have received no factual information that that's the case."

Arenac County Commissioner Mike Snyder said he heard from Stupak's office about two weeks ago that consideration was stalled because somebody new was being appointed to head the search for a facility to house the detainees.

"Our last contact (with Stupak's office) was about two weeks ago," Snyder said. "At that time the information we had was the guy who was heading it up was being moved to a different place. They are going to be appointing a new point man."

The possibility of the Gitmo detainees being housed in Standish has divided the community and Michigan political figures.

For example, Gov. Jennifer Granholm opposed it unless her "concerns" are addressed. Stupak supports it, as long as local officials support it.

President Barack Obama pledged to close Gitmo by Jan. 22 and relocate some of its detainees to U.S. soil, but has encountered an unexpectedly strong and bipartisan pushback in Congress.

In a suggestion that the deadline may not be met, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said today that, "We're not focused on whether or not the deadline will or won't be met on a particular day; we're focused on ensuring that the facility is closed and doing all that has to be done between now and the 22nd of January to make the most progress that we can that's possible."

dprice@detnews.com (202) 662-8736