ICE Pays CoreCivic $536 Million to Reopen Minnesota Facility

CoreCivic announced on August 4, 2026, that it secured a five-year contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reactivate the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, Minnesota. The facility, which has been idle since 2010, will serve as the first dedicated immigrant detention center in the state to support the mass deportation agenda of President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, ICE will pay more than $536 million over five years through fixed monthly payments and per diem fees. CoreCivic expects the 1,600-bed facility to generate approximately $75 million in annual revenue. The company plans to receive the first detainees in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the site reaching full operational capacity by the second quarter of 2027.

The expansion follows a rise in the average daily population of detainees in ICE and Border Patrol custody, which grew from 39,000 at the start of the current administration to 65,600 in July. The move also follows Operation Metro Surge, during which ICE agents fatally shot two individuals in Minneapolis.

Opponents of the contract include Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell, who argued that the center would separate detainees from legal counsel and family. AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen further condemned the agreement, criticizing the for-profit nature of the detention system.