The state will sell a never-used prison to the federal government regardless of whether it houses Guantanamo Bay prisoners, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has said.

Quinn told the Chicago Sun-Times, "We anticipate having a federal prison in Thomson this year. They are overcrowded at the federal level."

It has been reported that President Barack Obama has called for closing Guantanamo and had proposed using the Thomson Correctional Center as a holding center for accused enemy combatants. Some state and local officials supported the plan as a way to create jobs.

But opponents such as U. S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., balked at a plan they said they feared could attract terrorist attacks to the state.

The report further noted that the U. S. House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to require more thorough study by the administration before spending any funds on moving detainees. (With Inputs from Agencies)