Senator Maggie Hassan Probes $495 Million Prison Purchase
Senator Maggie Hassan is investigating the Department of Homeland Security for paying $495 million for a Minnesota facility the state previously declined for $75 million.
U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan is investigating the Trump administration's 2025 purchase of the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, Minnesota. The probe focuses on a price discrepancy involving the Department of Homeland Security, which reportedly paid $495 million for the site shortly after the state of Minnesota declined to purchase it for $75 million.
Hassan has called on the Department of Homeland Security and CoreCivic to preserve all records related to the transaction. The investigation follows a Democratic sweep in the U.S. midterm elections, which led to a decline in shares for private prison operators.
CoreCivic, the private prison operator that sold the facility, recently reported a 28% year-over-year revenue increase. This growth was driven by increased demand from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the sale of four detention facilities to the federal government for a total of $2.21 billion.
