Overview

• CoreCivic said late Wednesday it has started receiving detainees at the West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason, about 40 miles northeast of Memphis.
• Mason’s leaders approved agreements with ICE and CoreCivic on Aug. 12 after a contentious public meeting with strong resident and activist opposition.
• Company and local projections cite nearly 240 jobs, detention officer pay at $26.50 per hour, roughly $325,000 in annual property taxes, and a $200,000 yearly fee for the town.
• Civil-rights groups, including the ACLU, warn about detainee welfare, pointing to $44.7 million in state fines since 2022 and more than $4.4 million in settlements across roughly 80 cases through 2024 tied to CoreCivic sites.
• The former prison closed in 2021 under a DOJ directive that President Trump reversed in January, and state comptroller audits in 2017, 2020 and 2023 continue to inform public scrutiny.