DHS purchases two CoreCivic detention centers, boosting federal ICE capacity
The Department of Homeland Security bought the Prairie Correctional Facility in Minnesota and the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Kansas for $734 million, adding to earlier acquisitions and expanding federal control of ICE detention sites.
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security has spent $734 million to acquire CoreCivic’s Prairie Correctional Facility in Minnesota (1,600 beds) and the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Kansas (1,033 beds). These purchases follow a $1.5 billion deal for two California detention centers, bringing the total federal ownership of ICE facilities to four. CoreCivic will keep operating all sites under current contracts, which run through August 2031 for the Minnesota prison and September 2027 for the Kansas center, though ICE can renegotiate or terminate them.
The acquisitions were funded after Congress approved about $170 billion in new immigration enforcement money via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, supporting a broader deportation push. Federal ownership was also framed as a safeguard against California “sanctuary” policies that threaten private prison profitability. CoreCivic expects net proceeds of roughly $522.5 million after taxes and plans to use the cash to cut debt, buy back shares, and other corporate purposes.
Why it matters
The deal increases federal control over immigration detention amid a massive funding boost for enforcement.
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