The former prison in Appleton, Minnesota could hold Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees as soon as this fall.
The Department of Homeland Security has finalized a contract with company CoreCivic to open the 1,600-bed facility, effective August 11. CoreCivic is a private, for-profit prison company. The majority of U.S. immigration detention centers are run by for-profit companies.
Located about 20 miles east of the South Dakota border, the Prairie Correctional Facility hasn't been in use since 2010.
CoreCivic will get per diem pay for the number of detainees held on top of fixed monthly payments. They're preparing for intakes as soon as the fall and plan to be fully up and running by the middle of next year.
State Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) released a statement applauding the move, saying it will bring back "great jobs and economic opportunity" to West Central Minnesota.
"For years, I have worked to highlight the value of this facility and encouraged state and federal leaders to recognize what Appleton has to offer," says Westrom. "Despite opposition from DFL state leaders, I continually fought to make the case that leaving a facility like Appleton unused was a missed opportunity."
Local unions are not as positive about it, however. AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen blasted the move, saying No corporation should generate revenue and profit from imprisoning human beings."
"AFSCME Council 5 strongly condemns the decision by ICE to contract with CoreCivic to reopen the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, MN as a for-profit, private immigrant detention center. This decision is morally wrong, dangerous, and more costly for communities across Minnesota, and is fundamentally at odds with the values of dignity, justice, and respect that we hold dear as Minnesotans."
Prairie Correctional Facility originally opened in 1992.
