DHS Spends $2.2 Billion Buying Four CoreCivic Detention Centers

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased two immigration detention facilities from CoreCivic for $734 million, bringing the total federal expenditure for four such sites to over $2.2 billion. The most recent acquisitions include the 1,600-bed Prairie Correctional Facility in Minnesota and the 1,033-bed Midwest Regional Reception Center in Kansas.

These purchases follow a $1.5 billion acquisition last month of the California City Detention Facility and the Otay Mesa Detention Center. While the federal government now holds ownership of these sites, CoreCivic will continue to operate the facilities under existing contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The expansion is funded by approximately $170 billion approved through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to support a mass deportation campaign. DHS stated that federal ownership of the California sites protects the detention network from local officials who have targeted private facilities.