KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
A Leavenworth County judge will decide whether to reconsider his previous ruling temporarily barring CoreCivic from opening an ICE detention center in Leavenworth without a special use permit.
In a Monday hearing, attorneys representing the City of Leavenworth and CoreCivic were in court once again to present arguments to Judge John J. Bryant.
Dozens of people attended Monday’s hearing, which was twofold: the first consideration was for the judge to approve the written version of his June 4 oral ruling, and the second was CoreCivic’s motion for the judge to reconsider his June 4 ruling overall.
CoreCivic argues the city did not present adequate evidence to support its claims, primarily citing issues with a March 25 resolution the city approved, outlining CoreCivic’s need to obtain a special use permit based on the city’s zoning regulations.
As the legal arguments continue, public interest in the outcome has continued to grow. A standing-room only crowd packed the courtroom Monday.
At one point, attendees had to sit on the floor.
“There are a lot of people here that are not okay with CoreCivic,” said Janniece Stewart, a Lansing resident who attended Monday’s hearing after learning about it on social media. “I don’t want to be known for living by it.”
After about an hour’s worth of deliberation, Stewart says she left the courtroom unsettled.
“They keep going back and forth about things that have already been argued,” Stewart said.
David Waters, an attorney representing the City of Leavenworth, spoke briefly with reporters after the hearing.
“This is about following the city’s rules and regulations for special use permits, and that’s really what this case is all about and where it should be,” Waters said.
He stands by the city’s previous stance that CoreCivic is welcome to apply for a special use permit at any point.
During the hearing, Joe Hatley, another attorney representing the city, said if CoreCivic had submitted a special use permit application after the last hearing, they’d be halfway through the city’s hearing process.
“The city would consider it as it would consider any other special use permit in the city,” Waters said. “The judge has a temporary injunction in place, at least orally, and we’re waiting for the written order, and we understand from CoreCivic that they are abiding by that order.”
That hasn’t stopped CoreCivic from making preparations to open.
The full parking lot, new sign, and security out front have all surfaced in the past few months.
“How can they make a decision if no one can know what's going on,” said Lillianna Vaca, a high school student in the area who attended Monday’s hearing. “I don’t see how this is okay, how anyone can be okay with this. I don’t like this at all.”
Leavenworth residents like Sean Muddy are going off what they do know — like CoreCivic’s violent history at the former Leavenworth Detention Center.
“I was glad they shut down back in 2021,” Muddy said. “I don’t want CoreCivic to profit off of detaining immigrants when they haven’t done anything wrong.”
Several immigration advocacy organizations have condemned CoreCivic for previous incidents of violence, something Taylor Concannon Hausmann, CoreCivic’s lead attorney, said is an unfair measure going forward.
“The city continues to cast past harms as a present and future risk, noting that it is all but certain these issues will reemerge,” Hausmann said during Monday’s hearing.
In an email statement, a CoreCivic spokesperson would not address a claim that came as a surprise to the city’s attorneys — that CoreCivic filed a suit in the Leavenworth District Court on July 4. KSHB 41 is working to confirm that information. As of Monday evening, court officials say they have not received a new filing from CoreCivic.
The CoreCivic spokesperson did, however, maintain its position and acknowledged the current case.
“CoreCivic respects the judicial process, understands the judge's original spoken order, and has shared this with our partners at ICE,” the statement read. “We look forward to the next steps in presenting our position to the court.”
The issue's not going away, and neither are the crowds.
"We all have to fight as hard as we can, doing whatever we can to stop it, and this is my way," said Sarah Robinson, who came from Lawrence to oppose CoreCivic. "I couldn’t sleep at night knowing I didn’t do everything that was within my power to protect those people."
Judge Bryant did not say whether he plans to schedule another hearing or when his decisions will be made, other than that he’ll do so “shortly.”
