A federal prison in Duluth will stay open after it was put on the chopping block last December.
The Biden administration which cited aging and dilapidated infrastructure as reason to close Duluth's all male federal prison camp.
"Some of the buildings are, I mean, yes, they were built in the 1950s, so some of them are old," says Tonya Gajeski who is president of the union. "They're not crumbling. The roofs are not caving in. They're not unsafe."
Gajeski says some inmates' families spoke out against the closure.
"You don't want to visit your loved one in prison, right? But if you have to go somewhere and do it, Duluth is a great place because it's a beautiful community," Gajeski explained.
The announcement to keep it opens comes after the new federal prison director, William Marshall, toured the site last week along with 8th District Congressman Pete Stauber (R) and a representative from U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's (D) office.
"They came in in at the very beginning of December and told us that we were closing, and then there was a lot of pushback from both senators and from the congressmen about keeping Duluth open," says Gajeski. "Because it's an important part of the community here in Duluth, and so it didn't move very quickly."
Workers were informed Tuesday morning that the prison would remain open.
"They did a tour of the institution and met the staff and talked to some of the inmates, and I believe were impressed with the programs that we offered here, and the the staff we have, and everything that we're doing," Gajeski said.
Inmates at the camp have 10 or fewer years on their sentences and take part in programs focusing on education and re-entry into society.