ICE Revives Former “Hellhole” Prison — And Hires the Same Company To Run It
At Leavenworth, former workers say CoreCivic made conditions dangerous, which led to a near-death attack. The post ICE Revives Former “Hellhole” Prison — And Hires the Same Company To Run It appeared first on The Intercept .
On February 6, 2021, prison guard Marcia Levering faced a near-fatal incident at the former Leavenworth federal prison. Overwhelmed by her workload, a colleague accidentally opened the wrong door, releasing a high-risk inmate who in turn sprayed boiling water in Levering's face. The facility, plagued by overcrowding, understaffing, and violence, closed later that year as part of a Biden executive order.
However, under the Trump administration, the notorious prison reopened in March to house immigrants, most of whom had no criminal conviction, as part of ICE's deportation regime. Last month, CoreCivic sold the facility to the Department of Homeland Security for $238.4 million but maintains an existing ICE arrangement. Local officials report CoreCivic steamrolled community opposition and forced their participation in mass detention, leading to unsafe and violent conditions for both detainees and employees.
Current conditions at the Midwest Regional Reception Center are unverified from outside, with reports of medical neglect, inadequate food, and prolonged lockdowns from local groups like Northland Neighbors United. CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin dismissed these allegations. The city of Leavenworth had previously said "no" to expanding its involvement in immigration detention but, under President Trump, CoreCivic managed to reopen the facility as an immigration jail without waiting for a special use permit.
The city then sued to force CoreCivic to follow its permitting process, which a judge temporarily blocked. CoreCivic's vice president of federal partnership relations, John Malloy, offered the city a deal in early 2025, proposing 300 well-paying jobs, significant property tax revenue, and annual payments to the city and police department.
Despite the city's concerns over a rushed permitting process, CoreCivic emphasized the need to meet growing demand for immigration prison beds.
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