4 Kansas articles on ICE detention centers, local resistance, and legal debates

Kansas faces renewed controversy over ICE detention, private prisons and local pushback. CoreCivic aims to reopen its shuttered Leavenworth facility as an ICE detention center, sparking legal battles and city resistance over zoning and accountability. Community members express deep skepticism, recalling the prison’s troubled history with violence and understaffing, while others weigh potential economic benefits against social risks.

Stories such as Rosi Alvarado’s, who was detained and moved through Kansas’ for-profit Chase County jail, underscore the personal toll of immigration enforcement and the community’s concerns about due process. Public protests, local lawsuits and ongoing debates show Kansans are divided on ICE contracts and the use of private detention centers in their state.

CoreCivic’s private jail in Leavenworth, Kansas, has been renamed the Midwest Regional Reception Center in anticipation of housing immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. By Matthew Kelly

NO. 1: TROUBLED KANSAS PRISON COULD BECOME ICE DETENTION SITE FOR TRUMP-BACKED MASS DEPORTATIONS

Local residents have voiced opposition for a number of reasons, including the shuttered prison’s history of violence and fears that immigrants could be released into the community. | Published March 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

CoreCivic Midwest Regional Reception Center, formerly Leavenworth Detention Center, at 100 Hwy Terrace is seen on Monday, March 3, 2025, in Leavenworth, Kansas. By Emily Curiel

NO. 2: PRIVATE PRISON SAYS IT HAS ‘RIGHT’ TO RUN ICE DETENTION IN KS, DOESN’T NEED CITY’S OK

The largest private prison company in the U.S. appears poised to pursue a contract with ICE to detain immigrants, despite withdrawing its request for permission from the city of Leavenworth to do so. | Published March 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

A day room attached to cells at the Midwest Regional Reception Center private prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. By Matthew Kelly

NO. 3: WHY A TRUMP-FRIENDLY KANSAS TOWN IS REBUKING PLAN FOR AN ICE DETENTION CENTER

Trump’s audacious deportation campaign — and Leavenworth’s potential role in the effort — has divided the area as the possible local consequences of detaining large numbers of people have come into focus. | Published April 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly Jonathan Shorman

NO. 4: RURAL KANSAS COUNTY’S FOR-PROFIT JAIL IS A WAY STATION TO DEPORTATION HELL | OPINION

ICE agents tricked Rosi Alvarado, and her detention in Chase County is tearing her family apart. | Opinion | Published May 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Max McCoy

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.