Throughout the last few days, we have been hearing politicians from both sides of the aisle discussing transferring Guantanamo detainees to the United States. Their allegations that the detainees will just be released into the general population is laughable. However, they fail to mention the "Communication Management Unit" in Terre Haute, Indiana, whose inmates include terrorists that have been arrested within the United States and abroad.
The Communication Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute is a medium security unit that houses over 200 inmates and is a part of the Indiana Federal Prison. In was created in secret in 2007 and was not known until the Washington Postbroke a story about it.
The intention of the CMU is to limit communciation with the inmates, mostly Arab Muslim, with the outside world. All communciations, whether by mail or telephone are strictly monitored. Special permission needs to be given to communicate in a language different than English.
Inmates include terrorist suspects arrested in the United States and abroad. Present and past inmates include:
- Mukhtar Al-Bakri from the Buffalo Six
- Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal from the Portland 7
- Mohammed Ibrahim Bilal from the Portland 7
- Mokhtar Haouari who was convicted of plot to bomb LA airport in 1999, along with Abdel Ghani Meskini and Ahmed Ressam (at Florence Supermax)
- Kifah Jayyousi a co-defendant of Jose Padilla
- Zvonko Busic - a hijacker of TWA plane in the 1970's
- Faysal Galab from the Buffalo Six
- Ali Khaled Steitiye connected with the Portland 7
- John Walker Lindh the American Taliban
Now, I realize that this is a medium security prison, but it has been in existence. Other prisoners include money launderers to Iraq and Bosnia. The vast majority of the prisoners are Arab Muslims which were convicted of some terrorism charges.
Guantanamo prisoners with be supermaximum security prisons. In my opinion, if people are worried about them radicalizing other prisoners, then keep them separate.
However, I do find it amusing that as we debate bringing detainees to America, we have had terrorism prisons here all along whihc were set up in secrecy.