CoreCivic seeks reversal of restraining order blocking ICE prison in Leavenworth
At a boisterous court hearing Monday, America’s largest for-profit prison company asked a Kansas judge to reconsider whether it should be allowed to reopen its shuttered Leavenworth prison as an immigrant detention center.
Last month, District Court Judge John J. Bryant granted the city of Leavenworth’s motion for a temporary restraining order blocking CoreCivic from housing detainees there while he reviews the full case.
But the rest of the case remains on hold for now while Bryant weighs a motion from CoreCivic asking him to reconsider and vacate the temporary injunction.
“The Court had no evidentiary basis from which it could conclude that CoreCivic had not exhausted its administrative remedies or failed to timely initiate an action for judicial review under K.S.A. § 12-760,” CoreCivic attorney Taylor Concannon Hausmann argued in a court filing and reiterated during the nearly hour-long hearing.
Hausmann argued that Leavenworth infringed on the company’s rights by failing to hold an evidentiary hearing before or an appeal hearing after the City Commission’s March decision to terminate CoreCivic’s authorization to operate as a prison.
W. Joseph Hatley, an attorney representing Leavenworth, said CoreCivic is “flailing” to come up with a reason why the restraining order should be reversed.
Dozens of spectators filled the seats of the Leavenworth courtroom and spilled out into the hallway during the hearing. Most attendees showed up to protest CoreCivic’s plans, and many hoisted signs outside the courthouse beforehand.
At one point during the proceedings, Bryant threatened to clear the courtroom after one spectator hissed in disapproval and several others laughed at Hausmann’s assertion that the city had violated the company’s due process rights.
Afterwards, protestors expressed disgust with CoreCivic’s business model and President Trump’s mass deportation campaign, which has increasingly targeted immigrants whose only offense is lacking the proper documentation to reside in the U.S.
“I hope you sleep well,” Kansas City resident Mallory Neufeld told Haussman, the CoreCivic attorney, as she left the courtroom.
“You too,” Haussman replied.
Zoning dispute
The dispute over whether CoreCivic should be allowed to make good on the contract it entered into this spring with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, hinges on drastically different interpretations of local zoning laws.
The prison chain had operated its Leavenworth facility continuously since 1992 before it was forced to close at the end of 2021 under a Joe Biden executive order.
Its closure came amid deep community concerns over chronic violence, drug abuse, and understaffing at the facility, which was previously operated under a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Now that CoreCivic aims to reopen it, Leavenworth says the company must apply for a special use permit and receive the same approval from local officials required of any new prison or jail facility opened within city limits.
CoreCivic argues that it was forced to close against its will in 2021, making the special use permit requirement burdensome and illegal.
The legal fight has been in state court since May, following the decision by U.S. District Court Judge Toby Crouse to dismiss Leavenworth’s complaint on jurisdictional grounds.
At the end of the hearing, Bryant said he hoped to issue a ruling “shortly” but offered no timeframe for his decision.
The Star requested a copy of the contract between CoreCivic and ICE for the Leavenworth facility in May. So far, no contract has been furnished.
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 8:23 PM.
