A long-shuttered private prison in western Minnesota is slated to reopen as a massive federal immigration detention facility, according to newly released contracting documents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are moving forward with plans to reactivate the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, Minnesota. The facility, owned by private prison giant CoreCivic, has been vacant since 2010. Under the newly unveiled federal proposal, it will be converted into a 1,600-bed immigration detention center to support ICE’s St. Paul field office.
A 148-page contract proposal released by ICE outlines a five-year agreement to house both male and female detainees at the site. The reactivation is expected to follow a staggered timeline, beginning with an initial intake of 150 detainees before scaling up to its peak capacity of 1,600 individuals. Following building upgrades and official federal inspections, officials expect the site to be fully operational by the end of November 2026.
Signs of the turnaround are already visible locally. CoreCivic has actively posted job applications for leadership and security positions at the site, including openings for a prison warden.
The sudden acceleration of the project has ignited intense debate across the region. Local proponents have historically looked to the facility as a potential driver for rural job creation and economic stabilization. However, the scale of the impending immigration center has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights advocates and lawmakers.
Regional nonprofits, including the rural advocacy organization CURE, and human rights groups have raised alarms over the logistics and ethics of placing a mass-detention center in a remote area. Critics question the local infrastructure’s ability to support the legal, medical, and social needs of 1,600 detainees.
The project has also drawn formal political scrutiny. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig pressed the administration regarding the social impacts and civil liberties implications of the facility, signaling that the federal contract will face heavy oversight as the November activation deadline approaches.
Story courtesy of news partner KXLG.
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