{"id":8907,"date":"2026-03-11T13:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T18:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/11\/leavenworth-officials-approve-permit-for-corecivic-to-reopen-prison-after-agonizing-yearlong-fight\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T13:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T18:06:31","slug":"leavenworth-officials-approve-permit-for-corecivic-to-reopen-prison-after-agonizing-yearlong-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/11\/leavenworth-officials-approve-permit-for-corecivic-to-reopen-prison-after-agonizing-yearlong-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Leavenworth officials approve permit for CoreCivic to reopen prison after \u2018agonizing\u2019 yearlong fight"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Protesters
\n

Protesters hug after learning they lost the fight to keep private prison CoreCivic from reopening in Leavenworth. The city commission voted 4 to 1 on March 10, 2026, to give the company a special use permit (Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LEAVENWORTH \u2014 CoreCivic will reopen its private prison in Leavenworth to house immigration detainees after city commissioners approved the company\u2019s special use permit on Tuesday, the result of a process one commissioner called \u201cagonizing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Two people were arrested and multiple people were ejected as they shouted profanity during an hour of public comments and 30 minutes of discussion before the city commission voted 4 to 1 to approve the permit.<\/span><\/p>\n

CoreCivic and the city of Leavenworth have been fighting for a year as the company sought to reopen the prison it closed in 2021. With <\/span>a $60 million<\/span><\/a> U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement annual contract in hand, the Nashville-based private prison company tried through the courts to reopen without going through the city\u2019s development process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Todd, a CoreCivic spokesman, said in a statement that ICE officials would decide when the Midwest Regional Reception Center will begin housing detainees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>As we have from the start, CoreCivic remains committed to operating a safe, transparent and accountable facility,\u201d he said. \u201cWe look forward to our continued partnership with the city and to the benefits the MRRC will bring to Leavenworth and the surrounding communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The vote was a second \u2014 and final \u2014 consideration of CoreCivic\u2019s special use permit, which sets regulations for how the prison will operate and oversight the city will provide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commissioner Rebecca Hollister was the sole vote against the permit, as she was during the <\/span>first consideration on Feb. 24<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Leavenworth
Leavenworth city commissioner Rebecca Hollister explains her vote against allowing CoreCivic to reopen its private prison. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How they voted<\/h4>\n

Hollister said specific issues outlined in the permit caused her to vote no, including a clause that requires breaches of the agreement to continue for 30 days after a notice before termination could occur.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been valid concerns regarding potential violations that occur intermittently, but not necessarily for 30 days continuously,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hollister said CoreCivic officials answered her questions and invited her into the facility, but that she believes the company\u2019s promise of transparency and cooperation \u201crequires a high level of trust\u201d that is difficult for her to have, especially given the company\u2019s problems at other facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the knowledge I have right now, I just do not have sufficient faith that their operation would meet all the \u2018golden factors\u2019 in development regulations,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope to be wrong, and I think that\u2019s possible based on my last positive conversations with staff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Two commissioners made it clear their positive votes swung on fiscal responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been an agonizing process,\u201d said Commissioner Joe Wilson. \u201cEverybody wants to make this morality over fiduciary responsibility, but I think there is a real risk to the future of the city, based on how the vote turns out that has to be considered, that could have long-term ramifications for our children, for our tax base, for our law enforcement and our firefighters and the services that we can provide.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Commissioner Holly Pittman agreed, saying leadership doesn\u2019t mean choosing an easy path.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was mayor last year for much of the <\/span>city\u2019s court fights<\/span><\/a> with CoreCivic and was the subject of <\/span>dark-money political ads<\/span><\/a> accusing her of holding back progress by forcing CoreCivic to go through the special permit process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pittman said the vote wasn\u2019t about immigration policy or national politics, or whether she or anyone else dislikes CoreCivice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a land use decision governed by law and by the constraints of our political authority,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter reviewing all the legal framework, the zoning standards and the court rulings, I believe denying this permit would expose our taxpayers to a significant financial risk, and I will not gamble the financial stability of this city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mayor Nancy Bauder said Leavenworth didn\u2019t have a permit when CoreCivic was previously open and if the company violates it, the city can pull the permit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commissioner Samuel Maxwell declined to comment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"William
William Rogers, a former guard at Leavenworth\u2019s CoreCivic facility before it closed in 2021, has been fighting the prison reopening for more than a year. He says he doubts the company will keep its promises to the community. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Public comment<\/h4>\n

\t <\/p>\n

More than 115 people signed up to speak, but Bauder limited public comment to one hour, which allowed about 45 people to speak, three of whom were in favor of approving the special use permit.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the February meeting, public comment lasted three hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bauder said commissioners offered multiple opportunities for residents to share their views over the past year, and typically on second consideration of a special use permit, they don\u2019t take public comment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people ceded their time to others with simple statements asking the commissioners to vote against the permit. Others were passionate in their opinions about how CoreCivic and ICE\u2019s presence would change Leavenworth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey drug you through the mud by the scalp face first for a year, and I will not see you bend the knee now,\u201d said John Watt, of Junction City. \u201cStand up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Watt expressed a concern echoed by others that once the company is open and holding ICE detainees it will be difficult to enforce stipulations in the permit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike a bloated tick, they\u2019re going to get their head in and they\u2019re going to swell up on those tax dollars and they\u2019re going to be very difficult to get them to move,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some acknowledged the challenge facing commissioners.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, CoreCivic has now put you in a position where your responsibilities to the city\u2019s finances now lie in direct opposition to the responsibilities that you have as leaders to protect our people and our community,\u201d said Daniel McIntosh, of Leavenworth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The equation comes down to assessing risk, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you vote yes, you lessen the risk to the immediate situation of the city\u2019s finances, but you also place at risk the health, safety, welfare and liberty of individuals in that facility and outside,\u201d McIntosh said. \u201cWhile we appreciate the efforts you\u2019ve taken to mitigate those risks, you run the risk that any oversight granted by this permit may not be enforceable at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After the commission meeting ended, police took CreCivic officials and commissioners out through side doors to avoid the angry crowd of about 150 people who gathered outside, shouting \u201cshame\u201d repeatedly.<\/span><\/p>\n

William Rogers, a former CoreCivic employee who has been active in protesting the company\u2019s attempts to reopen, said before the commission meeting that he expected the permit to pass. He has little hope CoreCivic will treat incarcerated people better than in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rogers pointed to the recent death of Emmanuel Damas, an immigrant applying for asylum, who was arrested by ICE in Boston last year. Damas died from an infected tooth and the resulting sepsis infection after being held at the Florence Detention Center in Arizona, which is owned by CoreCivic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damas\u2019 death reminded Rogers of the exact same situation that occurred when he was a prison guard at CoreCivic\u2019s facility in Leavenworth. Rogers said he repeatedly sought medical treatment for a prisoner with an infected tooth and was ignored. He was off one day and returned to find the prisoner was in the hospital, near death from sepsis, Rogers said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The prisoner lived, but Roger said he saw repeated instances like that while working at CoreCivic and that it makes him dread the future for the facility.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also is concerned about the effects of a larger ICE presence in Leavenworth on people of different ethnicities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just call it what it is \u2014- this is an attack on the brown people,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the Hispanic community, people are afraid to come out. It doesn\u2019t matter what their status is right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rogers said people who are doing everything they are supposed to and are here as asylum seekers are being put in jail by ICE.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the gathering after the commission meeting, speakers stood to express their frustration but also to offer encouragement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur work here, throughout the entire three years that we\u2019ve been involved in this, is not in vain,\u201d said Karla Juarez, executive director of Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation. \u201cI see new faces. I see new people advocating. New people making public comments. New people, actually a lot of people who believed that CoreCivic should open, now on our side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Correction: A quote from John Watt was corrected.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters gather outside Leavenworth City Hall on March 10, 2026, to encourage city commissioners to vote against a permit that would allow private prison company CoreCivic to reopen in the community. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protester<\/div>
Protester William Rogers made this sign and put it by Leavenworth City Hall doors, then he carried it up to speak before the city commission against CoreCivic reopening. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters gather outside Leavenworth City Hall on March 10, 2026, to encourage city commissioners to vote against a permit that would allow private prison company CoreCivic to reopen in the community. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters gather outside Leavenworth City Hall on March 10, 2026, to encourage city commissioners to vote against a permit that would allow private prison company CoreCivic to reopen in the community. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters gather outside Leavenworth City Hall on March 10, 2026, to encourage city commissioners to vote against a permit that would allow private prison company CoreCivic to reopen in the community. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters gather outside Leavenworth City Hall on March 10, 2026, to encourage city commissioners to vote against a permit that would allow private prison company CoreCivic to reopen in the community. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters line an outside viewing area during the Leavenworth City Commission meeting on March 10, 2026. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"Protesters<\/div>
Protesters gather outside Leavenworth City Hall on March 10, 2026, offering a final plea to commissioners to reject CoreCivic\u2019s special use permit. (Photo by Grace Hills for the Kansas Reflector)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

This story was originally produced by Kansas Reflector<\/a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Missouri Independent, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Protesters hug after learning they lost the fight to keep private prison CoreCivic from reopening in Leavenworth. The city commission voted 4 to 1 on March 10, 2026, to give the company a special use permit (Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector). 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The city commission voted 4 to 1 on March 10, 2026, to give the company a special use permit (Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector). 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