KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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Leavenworth's city manager confirmed Monday CoreCivic, the company that owns the former Leavenworth Detention Center site, submitted a special use permit for an ICE detention facility.
The city manager said the city received this application Friday.
KSHB 41 heard from the city and residents earlier this month about the potential for an ICE detention center.
Now that the special use permit has been submitted, a public hearing will take place on Monday, April 7, at the city's planning commission meeting.
Regardless of whether the planning commission recommends the approval or denial of the special use permit, the full city commission will consider the application at the May 13th meeting. Public comment is welcome here.
The city commission has a second consideration on May 27th where the final vote will take place. Public comment is also welcome at this meeting.
The city of Leavenworth released a statement Tuesday regarding the center, saying it "understands that this is an important issue to the community" and that it wants to provide residents with the information they need to stay informed throughout the process.
The city says there are other things the city commission considers in conjunction with the special use permit process that will appear on March, April and May city commission agendas. Commission agendas are posted on the city's Facebook page and website.
No final decisions will be made by the city commission prior to the May 13 meeting.
The statement went on to address resident concerns.
"The City of Leavenworth is committed to providing as transparent and open of a process as we can regarding the proposed ICE detention facility operated by CoreCivic," the statement read. "Throughout this process, the City will be ensuring that, to the extent possible by State law for land use items like this, we work towards a situation that address major community concerns. Leavenworth is full committed to ensuring the humane treatment of all inmates or detainees under the care of any prison or detention facility. We are also dedicated to ensuring that no criminals or dangerous inmates would be released into the Leavenworth community from the CoreCivic facility. City staff is also working diligently to guarantee that core city sercies, such as police, fire and sanitary sewer, will not be diminished to the rest of the community as a result of the facility's potential opening. We look forward to working with CoreCivic representatives, community leaders and impacted stakeholders to make sure that the City Commission provides the outcome that is best for Leavenworth."
According to an email sent to various regional stakeholders and elected officials, CoreCivic is also hosting an informational meeting about the facility on Saturday, March 1.
"We recognize that some local leaders might have questions about our facility and what impacts a reactivation could have on the community and economy," Ryan Gustin, director of public affairs for CoreCivic, said in an email Monday.
Gustin went on to explain the organization's reasoning behind having an informational meeting.
"Our goal in inviting them to an informational open house is to provide some of those answers," Gustin's email stated. "We invited a small number of leaders from the city, county and state levels so that we could share some information about our company, the facility, and the positive impact we could have in the community should the facility become reactivated. Our goal in all of this is to ensure we’re being as open and transparent as possible."
The city of Leavenworth said it is aware of the meeting and that its attendance is "to be determined." However, the city did confirm receiving an email invite with a week's notice before the event.
Karla Juarez is the executive director of Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR). She said as of Monday evening, her organization had not received an invite from CoreCivic to Saturday's open house, despite AIRRs work with immigrants in the Kansas City area.
The community interest in the facility comes after President Donald Trump removed a ban on private prison contracts, reversing a former Biden executive order. Trump has also doubled down on mass deportations.
"Everybody right now is a target, specifically if you look a certain way," Juarez said. "Racial profiling is very real, especially in the areas of immigration."
Juarez said there's one avenue many people don't consider when discussing immigration and detention.
"People could be undocumented right now and are waiting for their process to be documented," Juarez said. "We don’t want the families to go through trauma because of a detention center."
It's trauma Michael Good is familiar with. He was in CoreCivic's detention center from 2019 to 2020 for committing a federal offense involving a firearm.
"It was really rough," Good said. "The security wasn’t as adequate as I think it could have been. There were drugs everywhere, alcohol, weapons. So, I think it was a really dangerous situation, and I don’t know how that would change if CoreCivic still keeps the contract."
The ACLU of Kansas shared a statement on CoreCivic's involvement with a potential ICE facility in Leavenworth:
"CoreCivic has never answered for the horrendous conditions and dangerous violence that peaked in 2021 and contributed to the closure of the Leavenworth facility alone — not to mention the numerous other examples across the country about how this corporation does business.
"CoreCivic's priority is its profit. Its track record shows that the shortcuts it takes to make its quarterly financial goals, from severe understaffing to depriving residents of hygiene or medical care. There are decades worth of staff and residents who have been traumatized and directly harmed because of CoreCivic's approach to business at its facilities — so much so that the company rebranded in 2016 to separate itself from its previous identity, Corrections Corporation of America.
"We haven't forgotten. We cannot trust CoreCivic to keep us safe — and we cannot afford the costs of allowing it to reopen the facility in Leavenworth and run roughshod over our communities.”
CoreCivic's reputation involving safety and violence also sticks out to Good and Juarez as concerns about the company operating an ICE detention center in the area.
"Our initial reaction was, ‘Not here,'" Juarez said.
But Jeff Guzman is wondering: Why not here?
"This is Leavenworth," Guzman said. "We’re known as prison city. While nobody wants to have another prison in their town, I think if one has to go somewhere, I think Leavenworth is a place to consider."
Guzman served as a corrections officer for the Army for 20 years, nine of those in Leavenworth.
"There’s no way to explain how challenging the job of corrections is, and it does take a special person to do it," Guzman said. "We have the people here, we have the experience here. It’s something to at least consider for the benefit of the community."
He's urging the public and leaders to take a balanced approach.
"I think people need to look at both pros and cons to decide if it’s here," Guzman said.
He said he could see an economic benefit to having the center in Leavenworth.
"If we could provide a job, good-paying jobs with benefits that are lowering our property taxes, it’s something to consider," Guzman said. "I’d love to see this town bring in business, get revived, restore downtown, and see great things happen."
Gustin shared the company's stance on its economic and social impact.
"CoreCivic has been providing high-quality services to our government partners for over 40 years, and we have operated our Leavenworth facility for nearly 30 years," the email read. "Our facility here delivered critical services to our government partner while providing meaningful careers for local staff and serving as a good corporate citizen in the community."
Guzman said he could also see that economic benefits come from individuals both working at and leaving the detention facility.
"We’re releasing state and federal prisoners every day, and they reside in this community," Guzman said.
People like Good, who operates Good Impressions Vinyl Studio in Leavenworth, where he makes T-shirt prints for several local businesses. Good said since being out of prison, he's also opened up a nonprofit and a notary.
"Now, I’m trying to even those scales," Good said. "Now, I have an opportunity to do something great. I’m going to try my best to always do that."
As a result, he wants to see his input valued in a public forum as these discussions about a potential ICE facility occur.
"I came to the community and I did positive things, and I hope my opinion matters," Good said.
Even though the public hearing isn't until April 7, there have already been multiple online forums for residents to express their stances.
AIRR, ACLU Kansas and New Frontiers released a joint petition to oppose the ICE detention center, which has since garnered over 1,000 signatures.
"[It's] so we can show that people are opposing the detention center," Juarez said.
KSHB 41 has submitted a records request for the details of the special use permit.
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