Kansas prisons

Tuesday’s meeting was one of the last chances for opponents and supporters of the proposed immigration detention center to testify. Leavenworth, Kansas, officials plan a vote to approve or deny a permit request in the coming weeks.

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.

Victims of the disgraced KCKPD detective and other social justice advocates fear that any accountability in Wyandotte County died with Golubski. “How and when does the statute of limitations run out on justice?”

The federal government joined the private prison company CoreCivic in its legal fight against the city of Leavenworth, which has been fighting in court to stop the reopening of a controversial detention center for immigrants.

Last month, the Kansas Department of Corrections suddenly canceled subscriptions purchased by outside parties for those in state custody. The move confounded newspaper publishers and concerned press freedom advocates.

Families of incarcerated people in Kansas were long able to take out a newspaper subscription in a person's name and have it delivered to a state facility. The Kansas Department of Corrections changed that policy without notice, claiming safety concerns but causing confusion.

The city of Leavenworth, Kansas, has netted a momentary victory in its battle to force private prison operator CoreCivic to follow the city’s interpretation of local rules. The company wants to house detainees for federal immigration authorities — without a city permit.

The Trump administration’s plans for expanded immigration detentions include Kansas. While a 1,000-bed facility in Leavenworth is on hold, the majority of the state’s detention plays out in a Flint Hills jail.

The Trump administration’s promised deportations have private prison operator CoreCivic moving to use the inactive Kansas facility to house federal detainees. Some former employees and immigrant rights advocates are pushing back.