Leavenworth vote clears way for detainees within weeks
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The CoreCivic Midwest Regional Reception Center. Photo: Emily Curiel via Getty Images
CoreCivic said Wednesday it expects to start accepting immigration detainees at its Leavenworth facility "in the coming weeks," one day after city commissioners approved the permit needed to reopen the site.
Why it matters: The 4-1 vote ends roughly a year of legal battles over whether CoreCivic needed city approval for a special-use permit and clears the way for immigration detainees to be housed in Leavenworth again, subject to local permit conditions.
Catch up quick: CoreCivic closed the Leavenworth prison in 2021 after losing federal contracts. In 2025, the company secured a new contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sought to reopen the site as the Midwest Regional Reception Center.
- The city argued the reopening required a special-use permit under zoning rules adopted in 2012, triggering months of litigation before the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled the company must obtain city approval.
Driving the news: At Tuesday night's City Commission meeting for the second consideration of the special-use permit, the city limited public comment to one hour and nearly 50 residents spoke.
- Most speakers urged commissioners to reject the permit, warning the detention center would harm immigrant families and questioning whether the city could effectively oversee CoreCivic's operations.
- Supporters said the center provides steady jobs with benefits and allows families to work close to home.
Mayor Nancy Bauder and Commissioners Holly Pittman, Joe Wilson and Samuel Maxwell voted yes. Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Hollister voted no.
- Hollister said she would have preferred to send the permit back to the planning commission and shorten the permit term.
- Wilson said the decision required weighing "morality over fiduciary responsibility."
- Bauder added, "If they don't follow those guidelines, we can pull the permit."
The other side: The Kansas Immigration Coalition criticized the vote in a statement, calling it a decision with "lasting impacts on immigrant families, adding that "immigrant detention should never be treated as an industry."
What's next: The permit allows CoreCivic to reopen under a three-year initial term and a cap of 1,104 detainees, defined in the ordinance as the facility's rated capacity.
- CoreCivic separately described the site as a 1,033-bed facility in its public statements but has not announced plans to expand.
- The company emphasized that ICE, not the city, decides when detainees will be transferred into the Leavenworth facility.