Star Politics: ICE prison’s dangerous conditions, detailed
Editor’s note: The following is from today’s Star Politics newsletter, published weekly on Wednesdays. You can sign up here.
Hello, Star readers.
Today, we’re looking at what life has been like for the roughly 80 men detained by federal immigration authorities at a Leavenworth prison and why immigrant advocacy groups are sounding the alarm over dire conditions there.
Plus, Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City and Columbia canceled all abortion appointments following a Missouri Supreme Court order temporarily blocking the procedure.
Next, we’ll get into:
• Pride & prejudice: Missouri’s sweeping stadium-funding plan has its fair share of skeptics, including some Republicans outraged over the Kansas City Royals’ Pride month post.
• Kansas leverage: Across the border, Kansas officials hoping to capitalize on the dysfunction say their own Chiefs and Royals incentive package offer will come off the table soon.
This week in politics
The American Civil Liberties Union and an array of immigrant rights groups say ICE detainees being held at the Leavenworth federal prison face overcrowding, medical neglect and regular lockdowns of up to three days.
ICE detainees have been refused medical treatment and denied necessary prescriptions, according to the open letter sent to federal authorities. Detainees have not been allowed outdoors, and can only speak with their attorneys in crowded rooms after paying for phone calls, they say.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on specific allegations of illegal and inhumane treatment of ICE detainees, and would not confirm whether conditions at the prison are being investigated.
More from this past week
• Trump administration cuts have cost Kansas City art organizations an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 in potential grant reimbursements.
• A new lawsuit accuses Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey of removing data from a state report about racial disparities in traffic stops.
• The city of Leavenworth is again suing for-profit prison company CoreCivic — this time in state court — over their plans to operate a second ICE detention facility in the city.
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