CoreCivic announced the finalization of a five-year contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reopen the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, Minnesota. The private prison company estimates the contract will generate approximately $75 million annually. The facility, originally built by the city of Appleton and purchased by CoreCivic in 1997, has been closed since 2010 due to reduced demand for state prisoner capacity. The reopened facility is expected to hold up to 1,600 immigrant detainees, with the company projecting the start of inmate arrivals at the end of the year and full operational capacity by the second quarter of 2027.
The reopening comes as the Trump administration accelerates its immigration enforcement efforts and seeks additional detention capacity. CoreCivic had been refurbishing the facility for several months in anticipation of the contract. The company’s expansion follows the administration’s rescission of a previous executive order that had restricted federal contracts with for-profit prison operators, allowing CoreCivic and similar companies to pursue new detention agreements.
The announcement has generated sharply divided reactions along political lines. Republican officials, including State Senator Torrey Westrom and Representative Michelle Fischbach, have praised the reopening for its potential to create approximately 450 jobs and provide economic benefits to the rural region. Democrats and advocacy groups have opposed the plan, with State Senator Ron Latz characterizing it as contrary to Minnesota values and referencing the state’s 2023 ban on for-profit prisons. Labor union AFSCME and rural advocacy organization CURE have also condemned the contract, raising concerns about the profitization of detention and the treatment of detained individuals.
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