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

1. Financial pressure: $1 million one-time payment + annual payments + 300 jobs at $28.25/hr proved decisive for commissioners
2. Framing as zoning, not immigration: Commissioners framed the vote as a land-use decision, not a policy vote on immigration
3. Federal preemption fear: Implicit concern that blocking the permit could trigger federal legal action
4. 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

After the Loss: Opposition Continues (May 2026)

The facility opened in mid-March 2026 and held ~240-249 detainees (incl. 59 women) by May — far under its 1,104 cap. The fight shifted from blocking the permit to monitoring and accountability:

• The permit-mandated 14-member Community Relations Advisory Board began meeting (public, fourth Tuesday monthly), but the city manager stressed it is advisory only.
• Activists (Northland Neighbors United, DACA recipients, a former corrections officer) held vigils May 25-26, 2026.
• Immigration attorney Michael Sharma-Crawford raised a due-process alarm at the board: detainees lack access to charging documents, “no way to formulate a defense.”

See leavenworth-ks-corecivic for facility operating detail.

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

• KCTV5: Community activists continue to voice concerns with CoreCivic’s Leavenworth facility (May 26, 2026)
• KCUR: Leavenworth’s for-profit ICE detention center under scrutiny from new community board (May 6, 2026)
• KCUR: ICE detention center can open after permit granted (Mar 10, 2026)
• KCUR: Opponents make final push (Feb 25, 2026)
• Axios KC: Leavenworth approves ICE detention permit (Mar 11, 2026)
• KCTV5: More than 100 protest (Feb 11, 2026)
• KCUR: Court temporarily blocks opening (Jun 4, 2025)