CoreCivic Reopens Leavenworth Prison for ICE detainees after selling it to DHS
CoreCivic has reopened the former federal prison in Leavenworth as an ICE detention center, keeping the same contractor while the city battles permitting and safety concerns.
After a 2021 closure triggered by a Biden executive order, the former Leavenworth federal prison was sold to the Department of Homeland Security for $238.4 million and reopened in March 2025 as an immigration detention center run by CoreCivic. The company retained its contract with ICE and promised the city 300 jobs, high wages and tax revenue, but many of those promises remain unfulfilled. The city of Leavenworth sued to force CoreCivic through a special-use permitting process; a judge initially blocked operations without the permit, but the injunction was later lifted.
Former correctional officers recount severe understaffing, elimination of “bubble” officers, and frequent violent assaults, including a 2021 stabbing that left a guard permanently disabled. Community groups report detainee complaints of medical neglect, inadequate food and prolonged lockdowns, which CoreCivic denies. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between for-profit prison operators, local authorities and immigrant detention policies.
Why it matters
The reopening shows how private prisons can bypass local oversight to expand ICE detention, raising safety and human-rights concerns.
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