Gov. Jennifer Granholm and some Michigan members of Congress are right to demand a lot more information from the federal government before Guantanamo prisoners are transferred to this state. The prisoners pose a much greater security threat than ordinary U.S. criminals.

At first glance, the idea of using some idle Michigan prison space, such as the maximum security facility at Standish, to house the suspected terrorist detainees from Guantanamo has appeal. We were open to the idea.

But on reflection, the possibility that members of the Taliban or al-Qaida would be housed in Michigan is worrisome. The state could well become a much more tempting terrorism target. And the economic gain would be minimal.

The 280 workers at the Standish state prison are an economic anchor for the struggling city, but it is unlikely that state Corrections Department guards would be providing security if the detainees are transferred to Michigan. Mel Grieshaber of the Corrections Department guards union acknowledged to The News that federal security officers, not state guards, would likely patrol any Michigan terrorism facility.

Guards at Guantanamo, a U.S. naval base in Cuba, are rotated in and out. The economic spin-off for Standish would be small, but the risks would be significant. A terrorist incident could be costly and devastating for the state.

After all, most of the 229 remaining prisoners at Guantanamo are the ones that no other country would accept. Some of them, said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, are among "the most dangerous people in the world." Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Intelligence, was joined by ex-FBI agent Mike Rogers, a fellow Republican congressman from Michigan, in objecting to housing the detainees here. The objections are bipartisan. Granholm, a Democrat, said she has concerns about the security implications for the state of relocating the detainees here.

With the state planning to close three prisons and five prison camps, the governor has rightly asked if the buildings can't be used to raise income for Michigan by housing inmates from other states. Far better for Michigan to host ordinary prisoners than the particularly threatening Guantanamo inmates.

REPRINTED FROM THE DETROIT NEWS.