County Fight
Lost
Leavenworth KS — CoreCivic Zoning Fight (Lost 4-1)
Leavenworth, KS
FIPS 20103
Current status: City Commission voted 4-1 on March 10, 2026 to grant special use permit despite overwhelming public opposition. Community review board created as condition.
The Fight
Community members fought for over a year to prevent CoreCivic from reopening a dormant 1,033-bed former federal prison as an ICE detention center. Despite overwhelming public opposition — 42 speakers against vs. 3 in favor at the final hearing, over 100 protesters at city hall, arrests at the hearing — the Leavenworth City Commission voted 4-1 on March 10, 2026 to grant CoreCivic’s special use permit.
Key Details
Timeline
- June 2025: District court temporarily blocked CoreCivic, ruling special use permit required
- December 2025: CoreCivic applied for permit after Kansas Court of Appeals upheld requirement
- February 2, 2026: Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend approval
- February 11, 2026: 100+ protesters gathered outside city hall
- February 25, 2026: Final public hearing — 42 against, 3 in favor, 2 arrested
- March 10, 2026: City Commission voted 4-1 to approve
Why the Community Lost
- Financial pressure: $1 million one-time payment + annual payments + 300 jobs at $28.25/hr proved decisive for commissioners
- Framing as zoning, not immigration: Commissioners framed the vote as a land-use decision, not a policy vote on immigration
- Federal preemption fear: Implicit concern that blocking the permit could trigger federal legal action
- CoreCivic’s legal team: Company had resources for sustained litigation campaign
What Worked (Partially)
- Court victories forced CoreCivic to apply for a permit (buying a year of delay)
- Community review board created as permit condition
- Rep. Sharice Davids provided congressional opposition voice
- Kansas Reflector editorial coverage framed the broader moral argument
Lessons
The Leavenworth fight shows that zoning wins buy time but don’t hold forever when the financial incentives for a small city are large enough. Compare to Kansas City MO (see kansas-city-mo-platform-ventures) where the pressure target was a private developer, not a city commission vote.
Sources
This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.