Judge blocks private prison operator from housing ICE detainees at shuttered Kansas center
June 4, 2025
A judge has blocked a private prison operator from housing immigrants facing possible deportation in a shuttered Kansas City area detention center unless it can get a permit from frustrated city officials. Leavenworth County Judge John Bryant agreed Wednesday to grant the city of Leavenworth’s request for a temporary restraining order after a packed courtroom hearing. CoreCivic is one of the nation’s largest private prison operators. It had claimed in legal filings that halting the opening of the 1,033-bed facility would cost it $4.2 million in revenue each month. City officials told the judge they expected the arrival of migrants apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was imminent.
