KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. She's been covering CoreCivic's efforts in Leavenworth for the last several months. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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The Leavenworth Planning Commission voted 5-1 Monday night to approve a special use permit request by CoreCivic to operate an ICE detention facility inside a former federal prison in the city.
They passed this motion with several conditions and modifications to staff's recommendations, including shortening the special use permit duration from five years to three years, and clarifying language about response times for law enforcement.
The city manager mentioned one instance where CoreCivic failed to report a death for six days prior to the company no longer housing detainees in Leavenworth after an executive order in 2022.
The Leavenworth police chief said he's "confident" he has the staff and support now to work with CoreCivic on potential incidents that could arise.
Part of the agreement requires CoreCivic to pay a yearly fee of $150,000 for law enforcement manpower and overtime.
About 100 people attended Monday's meeting, with some for and some against the facility.
RELATED | Legal battle between CoreCivic, City of Leavenworth has town residents talking
The commission chambers were full, so the city had to set up overflow seating in the hallway outside.
Several CoreCivic employees and leaders attended and gave public comment as well.
"The opportunity for a reasonable wage was attractive to me," one current employee said.
CoreCivic representatives say they've already hired 150 employees and have offers out to 150 more.
They attribute low staffing when the company ran a private prison for the federal government to violent incidents tied to long response times.
The CoreCivic facility would hold about 1,000 people detained by ICE agents, according to documents posted on the City of Leavenworth's website.
Monday's meeting was to determine whether or not the application adhered to the city's zoning regulations, but several attendees and commissioners brought up concerns about safety.
"We know why it closed, and we know who got hurt," one resident said.
The Leavenworth City Commission will have two additional meetings to consider the proposal.
The first meeting is Feb. 24 and the second is March 10.
A final vote on the detention center is expected at the March 10 meeting.
The detention center would have about 300 full-time employees, according to the document, and employees would work in three shifts.
The building was formerly used as a federal prison. It is a 192,000 square-feet structure that has five housing units and 1,033 beds.
Core Civic has stated, according to the document, that detainees would be held for about 51 days.
No one would be released into the Leavenworth community unless they lived there when they were detained.
Core Civic talked to the City of Leavenworth in 2024 about ICE putting detainees in the former federal prison.
There were hearings scheduled before the city's Planning Commission and City Commission scheduled in April and May 2025.
Core Civic withdrew an application for a special permit before the hearings.
After that, months of legal disputes ensued.
"The legal process was probably taking too long for folks," a CoreCivic spokesperson told commissioners when asked why they submitted an application a second time.
A Leavenworth County Judge issued a temporary injunction against Core Civic on June 4, 2025.
Core Civic appealed the ruling and a court date is set for Feb. 10 before the Kansas Court of Appeals.
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