President Barack Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo detention facility, redeeming his campaign vow, raised the not insignificant problem of what to do with the terrorist suspects currently housed at the Cuban facility.

The administration is casting about for places to relocate Gitmo detainees and is having teams of its officials scout potential sites, including Standish, Michigan where Obama's people are today investigating the possibilities of using the maximum-security prison there.

NPR's Ari Shapiro filed a report for the network's newscast. Here's his report:

A task force of people from across the government has spent months analyzing how best to close Guantanamo.

They've concluded some detainees will likely have to be locked up in the U.S. for a very long time, either with or without trial.

 

The task force has developed a short list of places the detainees could be held. And the maximum security prison in Standish, Michigan is on that list.

Now the White House has sent a group of Administration officials to assess the prison.The team includes people from the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State.

There are 229 detainees still at Guantanamo Bay. More than 50 have been cleared for transfer to a foreign country. More than 30 have been referred to U.S. Attorneys' offices for potential prosecution.

President Obama has pledged to close the prison by next January.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, a Republican in the House of Representatives, opposes the idea of Gitmo detainees being shipped to his state. Many lawmakers have the share his reservations, adding to the NIMBY chorus.

In a statement, Hoekstra said:

"In light of federal officials visiting Michigan to determine whether it is appropriate to house Guantanamo detainees, I am sending a letter to the Department of Defense and Department of Justice asking that I be allowed to lead a delegation of local and state officials and press to visit Guantanamo Bay with the necessary security clearances to better understand the special circumstances and the challenges that these detainees present by moving them to Michigan.

"I remain strongly opposed to Guantanamo detainees being placed in Michigan. State and local officials must be given the same information that the administration and I have received as Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee about the nature of these detainees and all the risks involved in holding them. Allowing state and local officials to see firsthand these detainees and Guantanamo Bay is necessary for them to understand the challenges and risks."