Overview
- CoreCivic said Tuesday that ICE awarded it a five‑year contract beginning Aug. 11 to operate the 1,600‑bed Prairie Correctional Facility and that detainees are expected to arrive late 2026 with full ramp‑up by the second quarter of 2027.
- The Department of Homeland Security bought the Appleton site from CoreCivic for roughly $495.6 million while a federal award notice lists the contract’s total value as more than $536 million over five years.
- CoreCivic told investors it expects about $75 million in annual revenue from the site and will continue to manage the facility under a multi‑year management agreement reported to run through August 2031.
- Local reaction is split: Appleton leaders and some business owners say reopening will bring jobs and roughly 450 positions, while immigrant‑rights groups, unions and several lawmakers have organized protests and raised concerns about detention conditions and profit motives.
- The move is part of a wider federal push to expand detention capacity, follows recent CoreCivic property sales such as Leavenworth, and revives questions about medical care and treatment at privately run ICE facilities.