Former Court of Appeals Judge Bill Schuette announced today he has launched a petition drive on his website to block the importation of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Michigan.
“Public safety is government’s number one obligation,” Schuette said. “Some leaders in Lansing are now saying that Michigan should import terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They just don’t get it. We need to send a message that Michigan’s future should not include the world’s most dangerous terrorists.”
Schuette’s website, www.billschuette.com, is urging Michigan citizens to sign the petition calling on lawmakers in both Lansing and Washington, D.C. to oppose all efforts to relocate suspected terrorists to a prison in Michigan.
“The world’s most dangerous terrorists should be on a military base, on an island, in the middle of an ocean, and that zip code is Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,” Schuette said.
The effort to relocate prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Michigan comes as the state embarks on a policy to parole thousands of prisoners earlier than they would normally be released. At the same time, budget cuts are reducing the number of State Troopers and local law enforcement officers due to cuts in revenue sharing.
“It’s time to stop balancing the budget on the backs of public safety,” Schuette said. “And it’s critical to keep terrorists out of Michigan – period.”
