CoreCivic

The federal government's purchase of the CoreCivic-operated ICE detention center in Leavenworth is raising questions about whether the city will maintain the same level of oversight it established before the facility reopened.

The city commission voted to grant a permit allowing private corrections company CoreCivic to hold over 1,000 federal immigration detainees in a shuttered facility.

A planning commission in Leavenworth recommended granting CoreCivic a permit to open a detention center, but with qualifications. The final decision will be left to the city’s commission.

The private prison company had previously argued it didn't need a permit to operate the now-idle prison as a detention center for immigration detainees. Now, CoreCivic says it will apply for the special use permit.