By Emmanuel Bobby
A Kansas town long associated with correctional facilities has approved the reopening of a shuttered private prison that will house detained immigrants, ending a nearly yearlong legal battle amid a nationwide push for additional immigration detention centers.
The City Commission in Leavenworth voted 4-1 on Tuesday to grant a permit to private prison operator CoreCivic, allowing the company to reopen the facility under a three-year agreement. The permit includes several conditions, including minimum staffing requirements, a ban on housing minors and the creation of a city oversight committee to monitor operations.
Mayor Nancy Bauder said the city would retain the authority to revoke the permit if CoreCivic fails to comply with the agreed-upon guidelines.
“If they don’t follow those guidelines, we can pull the permit,” Bauder said before the vote.
The facility, known as the Midwest Regional Reception Center, has 1,104 beds and is located about 10 miles west of Kansas City International Airport. CoreCivic, one of the largest private prison operators in the United States, said the center could generate about $60 million annually for the local economy once it is fully operational.
The vote follows a legal dispute between the city and CoreCivic after the company attempted to reopen the facility without local approval. Leavenworth sued the company, arguing that it needed a city permit before restarting operations.
The legal fight unfolded in both state and federal courts, with the Department of Justice supporting CoreCivic’s position. Federal attorneys argued in court filings that the city was engaging in an “aggressive and unlawful effort” to interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
The case appears to be one of the few instances nationwide where a local government’s legal challenge delayed the reopening of a private detention facility during President Donald Trump’s push for expanded immigration enforcement and mass deportations.
City officials argued that requiring a permit would allow them to impose safeguards and avoid problems that had occurred when the prison previously operated. CoreCivic, however, maintained that it did not legally require a permit and warned that the approval process would significantly delay reopening the facility.
Leavenworth’s resistance was notable given the city’s long-standing ties to the prison system. The city’s name has become synonymous with incarceration, and correctional facilities remain a major source of employment in the area.
Within roughly six miles of city hall are multiple detention institutions, including two military prisons, the nation’s first federal penitentiary, a Kansas state correctional facility and the local county jail.
CoreCivic stopped housing pretrial detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service at the Leavenworth facility in 2021 after then-President Joe Biden directed the Justice Department to reduce the federal government’s reliance on privately operated prisons.
At the time, civil rights groups and federal public defenders raised concerns about conditions inside the facility, citing allegations that detainees’ rights were violated. Reports included claims of stabbings, suicides and one homicide.
The city’s lawsuit also alleged serious misconduct, including claims that detainees had been locked inside showers as punishment and that CoreCivic staff obstructed investigations by local police into sexual assaults and other violent incidents.
Tuesday’s vote came after nearly four dozen residents spoke against the permit during the public comment period. Mayor Bauder repeatedly warned the audience to remain orderly, and police eventually removed a protester who shouted vulgar remarks during the meeting.
“We, the people of Leavenworth, are not fooled and we don’t care about their money,” resident David Benitez told commissioners during the hearing.
Supporters of the permit argued that reopening the prison would create jobs and boost the local economy. Two CoreCivic employees spoke in favor of the proposal.
Charles Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, said his job at the facility provided purpose and helped his family become financially stable.
“The people I work alongside are caring, professional and committed to doing things the right way,” Johnson said, though his remarks were met with boos from critics gathered outside the meeting room.
City Commissioner Holly Pittman said the city’s legal fight had ultimately allowed officials to negotiate conditions on the permit that would increase oversight.
She also warned that rejecting the permit could expose the city to costly litigation.
“I will not gamble the financial stability of this city,” Pittman said before casting her vote in favor of the permit. “Let me be clear: Approval does not mean endorsement.”
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