WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10), the only member from Michigan on the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano asking DHS to provide the appropriate amount of funds to defray the cost for the civilian court trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas Day terrorist, that Michigan will be forced to bear. In addition, Congresswoman Miller asked the Secretary to coordinate with state and local officials before the trial of Abdulmutallab takes place to resolve the additional security requirements the city will have to implement.
“Since this terrorist was arrested at Detroit Metro Airport on Christmas Day, I have been arguing that he is not a common criminal; he is an unlawful enemy combatant who violated the law of war and should be tried in a military commission. The decision to try this unlawful enemy combatant in civilian court, provide him with Constitutional protections, including the right to remain silent and with multiple taxpayer funded attorneys, is wrong during a time of war and extremely ill-advised,” Miller said. “The trial of this terrorist will also place an undue cost and manpower burdens on the City of Detroit and the state of Michigan, neither of which is in a position to absorb the additional security related costs of holding this trial.”
“Since it was the decision of Attorney General Eric Holder and the federal government to try this terrorist in civilian court in Detroit, then the costs to local and state government must be borne by the federal government. It would be simply wrong to ask hard pressed local communities to take on these costs simply because they were targets of this terrorist act and played no role whatsoever in the decision to hold this trial in our community,” Miller concluded.
Congresswoman Miller has introduced the Terrorist Detention and Prosecution Act of 2010 (H.R. 4415), which will give the United States the essential tools it needs to detain terrorists who commit acts within our borders, to interrogate them for information that will protect American citizens and then try them before military commissions.
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