Fri Dec 20 22:30:00 UTC 2024: ## Private Prison Company Seeks to Turn Former Leavenworth Jail into ICE Detention Center
**Leavenworth, KS –** Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveal that CoreCivic, the nation’s largest private prison operator, proposed converting its closed Leavenworth Detention Center into an immigration detention facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The proposal, submitted in June, comes amid concerns that the incoming Trump administration plans to significantly expand ICE detention capacity for mass deportations.
The Leavenworth facility, which previously housed pre-trial detainees, has a history of violence, understaffing, and drug problems, according to a 2021 Kansas Reflector investigation. A federal judge previously described the facility as a “hell hole.” These issues have led to strong opposition from the ACLU of Kansas and Leavenworth residents, who argue that the center’s reopening as an ICE facility would negatively impact the community.
CoreCivic maintains that its immigration detention facilities operate under strict oversight and accountability. The company emphasizes its role in addressing humanitarian crises and meeting critical government needs. However, the ACLU argues that the proposal represents a dangerous expansion of ICE detention and facilitates the Trump administration’s planned mass deportations.
Leavenworth County initially considered acting as an intermediary in a potential contract between CoreCivic and ICE, but commissioners voted in September 2023 to end negotiations following significant public opposition. The facility’s closure in 2021 followed an executive order by President Biden banning the renewal of Department of Justice contracts with private prisons. The potential use of the facility as an ICE detention center has been a source of speculation since its closure.
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