Former Leavenworth detention center eyed for potential ICE facility

    LEAVENWORTH, Kansas (KMBC) -- The former Leavenworth Detention Center, empty since 2021, could soon serve as an immigration detention facility if city officials approve a proposal by private operator CoreCivic.

Leavenworth City Manager Scott Peterson confirmed that CoreCivic applied Friday for a special use permit to convert the facility into an ICE detention center.

He indicated that the company would likely use the center to detain those illegally in the country or individuals in the process of being deported or close to that category.

According to immigration attorney Michael Sharma‑Crawford, CoreCivic has been working for years to transform the 1,100‑bed complex into a center where Immigration and Customs Enforcement could detain undocumented immigrants or individuals in deportation proceedings.

“People that would presumably come from as far as North Dakota, down through Nebraska and over from Oklahoma, even the western flanks of Colorado, would give them some flexibility in the center of the country,” Sharma‑Crawford said.

He believes the plan raises significant ethical and moral questions.

“You’re literally tearing families apart,” he said. “We’re wasting money when it could be more efficient, when they can continue to contribute to society. They were just throwing it away because somebody needs an enemy to hate.”

City officials plan to gauge public interest at a city commission meeting on March 11, with a follow-up discussion and possible vote scheduled for the planning and zoning meeting on April 7.

A spokesperson for ICE said the agency will comment once its office reopens.

CoreCivic provided a statement defending its proposal and asserting that its services would solve problems in ways the government cannot.

You can read that statement below:

"Regarding our facility in Leavenworth, we continue to explore opportunities with our government partners for which this site could be a viable solution. During this process, some staff remain onsite to ensure the facility is properly maintained. CoreCivic has a long history of partnership in Leavenworth. For nearly three decades, our facility here delivered critical services to our government partner while providing meaningful careers for local staff and serving as a good corporate citizen in the community. Opportunities to reopen our facility will bring a renewed positive impact to Leavenworth by:

Creating approximately 300 new jobs for local residents and those who may want to move into the Leavenworth community. These renewed career opportunities would have an approximate starting salary of $28.50 per hour. Paying property tax and impact fees to the City of Leavenworth, which could be used for local schools, infrastructure improvements and other important projects. As important as understanding the many benefits of reopening the facility is knowing what it – and our company – will not do: We will not release any individuals from the facility directly into the Leavenworth community. In fact, any agreement with ICE will have a provision strictly prohibiting the release of detainees into the community. If detainees are found to be released, we would lose our permit to operate with an ICE population. We will not operate without direct, onsite oversight from our government partners. We do not and will not lobby on any policies, regulations or legislation that impact the basis for or duration of an individual’s detention. We do not and will not enforce any immigration laws, arrest anyone who may be in violation of immigration laws, or have any say whatsoever in an individual’s deportation or release. The services we provide help the government solve problems in ways it could not do alone – helping to create safer communities by assisting with the current immigration challenges, dramatically improving the standard of care for vulnerable people, and meeting other critical needs efficiently and innovatively. These are problems the American public has made clear they want fixed."