U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder agreed Wednesday the Thomson Correctional Center would be “the most secure prison in the United States,” if detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were moved there.

Holder, who was questioned by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., during a Senate hearing, agreed with the senator’s statement. He also confirmed previous administration pledges that security at Thomson would be strengthened and that foreign detainees wouldn’t be allowed visitors.

Holder’s remarks came during a broader discussion about his decision to try five enemy combatants in New York City.

It was one of a handful of developments on the Thomson prospect Wednesday.

An administration official already had said that, if Thomson were chosen for the detainees, security would be enhanced to exceed the country’s only Supermax facility in Florence, Colo.

Holder, the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer, confirmed that during the hearing.

U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill., meanwhile, announced his support for the idea Wednesday, as did U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

Hare, who represents an area just south of the Thomson Correctional Center, had been noncommittal about the Thomson proposal when the news broke over the weekend. But Wednesday, he threw his support behind the idea.

“I’m not afraid of these people,” Hare said.

He said what he is afraid of is continued economic decline in the Thomson area. Thomson, Ill., is about 50 miles northeast of the Quad-Cities.

Hare said he was briefed Wednesday by an official from the National Security Council.

Congressional approval still is needed for the detainees to be moved anywhere in the U.S., including Thomson.

Durbin, a leading proponent, has worked to get the backing of Democrats, including those in Illinois who haven’t committed.

“I would rather have the support of my colleagues rather than their neutrality,” Durbin said in an interview.

Hare said he expected other Democrats in the Illinois delegation to sign on, too.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he’s against moving any Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the United States, including Thomson.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, still hasn’t said whether he’s for the idea, but he forcefully rebutted arguments Republicans have made against it.

It’s not clear how much influence congressional opinion in Illinois and the surrounding area will have, but public doubts have sprung up in Michigan, another site federal officials have visited.

In another development Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, said he will introduce legislation to try to bar the move.

“I have heard from so many Iowans over the past few days who are rightfully concerned about the proposed location of Guantanamo Bay terrorist detainees to our backyard,” Latham said.

His legislation would bar 11 Midwest states from holding the detainees.

The administration has said if it moves the prisoners to Thomson, it would convert the nearly vacant facility to a federal prison and turn over some of the space to the Defense Department.

About 1,600 federal prisoners would be held at the facility.

It’s not clear how many Guantanamo Bay prisoners would be held at Thomson.

The administration has said it would be “limited.” Durbin has said that’s fewer than 100, but Braley said Wednesday he was told 100 to 150.

He also said that any trials of terrorism suspects would occur on the East Coast. The administration has said military tribunals could be held at or near the facility, but no decisions have been made.

The Thomson option is embroiled in a larger debate over whether to close the Guantanamo Bay facility.

Congressional Republicans have generally opposed it, although some prominent conservatives released a letter Monday backing the proposal.

Also, more than 30 generals and admirals have sent a letter to Congress urging its closing.

Democrats, who balked at the idea of moving the detainees to the U.S. earlier this year, may be changing their minds, too.

On Tuesday, the Senate, mostly along partisan lines, rejected a proposal to prohibit use of funds in a military construction bill to modify U.S. facilities for the purpose of holding Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Harkin, Durbin and U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., voted to reject it. Grassley voted to approve it.

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EARLIER STORY: An Iowa congressman said today he would introduce legislation to bar the Obama administration from moving detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill., the latest development in a political firefight over the prospect.

U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, said he would introduce the bill Thursday. The move is the latest in a line of GOP attempts to put a roadblock in the way of moving the detainees.

“I have heard from so many Iowans over the past few days who are rightfully concerned about the proposed location of Guantanamo Bay terrorist-detainees to our backyard,” Latham said in a statement today.

Also today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was asked about the Thomson prospect in a Judiciary Committee hearing.

Holder, under questioning from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., confirmed previous administration statements that, if the detainees are moved to northwest Illinois, prison security would be improved beyond other federal facilities in the U.S. He also said Guantanamo Bay detainees wouldn’t be allowed visitors. Republicans have raised the prospect of hundreds of potential threats traveling to Illinois to see the detainees.

“That's not consistent with my understanding of how people are held in military detention,” Holder said.

Area congressional reaction also continued to emerge days after the administration confirmed Thomson was a “leading option” for a “limited number” of detainees.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said today he opposes the idea of moving the detainees anywhere in the U.S.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is supportive of the prospect of moving the detainees to Thomson, a spokesperson said.

The administration has said if it moves the prisoners to Thomson, it would convert the nearly vacant facility to a federal prison and turn over some of the space to the Defense Department. Thomson is 50 miles northeast of the Quad-Cities.

About 1,600 federal prisoners would be held at the facility.

The Thomson option is embroiled in a larger debate over whether to close the Guantanamo Bay facility. Republicans have generally opposed it. Earlier this year, Democrats also balked at the idea of moving the detainees to the U.S.

That may be changing, however.

Tuesday, the Senate, mostly along partisan lines, rejected a proposal to prohibit use of funds in a military construction measure to modify U.S. facilities for the purpose of holding Guantanamo detainees. Harkin, Durbin and Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., voted to reject it. Grassley voted to approve it.

In addition to Latham’s proposal, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has also said he would seek to amend an upcoming appropriations bill to require an impact study before any move is made.

The Quad-Cities’ congressmen, Reps. Phil Hare and Bruce Braley, have not committed yet. Braley toured the facility on Monday and said he was more comfortable with the idea. Hare is slated to hold a news conference today to discuss the matter.

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EARLIER STORY: An Iowa congressman said today he would introduce legislation to bar the Obama administration from moving detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill.

Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, said he would introduce the bill Thursday, the latest in a line of GOP attempts to put a roadblock in the way of moving the detainees.

“I have heard from so many Iowans over the past few days who are rightfully concerned about the proposed location of Guantanamo Bay terrorist-detainees to our backyard,” Latham said in a statement today.

The administration has said a “leading option” is to purchase Thomson, convert it to a federal prison and turn over some of the space to the Defense Department for the Guantanamo detainees. Thomson is 50 miles northeast of the Quad-Cities.

About 1,600 federal prisoners would be held at the facility as well as a “limited number” of Guantanamo detainees, an administration official has said.

Already, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is seeking to amend an upcoming appropriations bill to require an impact study before any move is made.

Congressional Republicans in the state have opposed the move, while Illinois Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. Pat Quinn have been supportive.

They say there already are international and domestic terrorists in Illinois prisons, and this move would create up to 3,200 jobs for an ailing region.

The Quad-Cities’ congressmen, Reps. Phil Hare and Bruce Braley, have not committed.

Braley toured the facility on Monday. Hare is slated to hold a news conference today to discuss the matter.