ICE detention center opens in western Minnesota

Fast Read

Lawyers and local observers say the first detained immigrants have been transferred to a large new detention center in western Minnesota.

Lawyers and local observers say the first detained immigrants have been transferred to a large new detention center in western Minnesota.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced earlier this year that it planned to open the site this fall in Appleton, west of the Twin Cities. The facility, a former private prison, has been vacant since 2010.

A spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union said the facility’s attorneys had received “credible and documented reports that at least one person is currently detained at the facility.”

A group of local advocates said they have seen more activity around the facility this week and believe inmates have been brought there. Observers said they spotted vans used to transport inmates entering the facility earlier this week.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment from MPR News. The agency’s public list of detention centers does not include Appleton.

ICE previously said the facility would be fully operational by mid-2027. It can accommodate 1,600 inmates. These people could be brought to the center from other county jails around the state, or flown in from other facilities across the country, as is the case at several ICE detention sites.

The center will be operated by CoreCivic, a company that once owned the prison and sold it to the U.S. government earlier this year for $495.6 million. A recent KARE 11 investigation found that price was more than six times the price CoreCivic asked the state for the property a year earlier.

CoreCivic operates more than 70 detention centers across the country. Many have seen reports of poor living conditions, including the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.

John Boehler is a policy advisor at ACLU Minnesota. He expressed concern about conditions at the Appleton facility, particularly because it sat vacant for more than 15 years before reopening. He has been following news of other immigration detention centers across the country that have opened quickly after lengthy closures, and said he has seen reports of health concerns and lack of access to basic needs.

He said the federal government was not doing enough to ensure safe living conditions.

“What we’ve seen over the last couple of years is that the executive branch, the federal legislative branch, DHS, ICE and their private partners have all worked closely together, so there has been no real oversight of these facilities,” Boehler said. “The goal has been to sort of mask the conditions that these facilities are in and get them up and running as quickly as possible.”

Lawyers and clergy are legally allowed access to detention centers; Boehler said he’s monitoring news coming out of Appleton once people are allowed in again.

But Boehler said access to the Appleton site could be difficult. It’s a three-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and attorneys have had trouble tracking where ICE is taking some of their clients.

And, he added, an additional 1,600 detained migrants in the state could strain resources such as mutual aid and lawyers. At the height of Operation Metro Surge, Boehler said, about 800 detained immigrants were being held in county jails across the state.

“Those resources have been strained because of Metro Surge,” Boehler said. “Taking that and multiplying it by three or four, and putting them three hours outside of the metro, where there are very few lawyers, let alone immigration lawyers, you’re going to make it very difficult for these people to get adequate representation.”

CoreCivic says the company expects to generate about $75 million in revenue annually from the Appleton site under its five-year contract with the U.S. government. They will receive a fixed monthly payment and a daily payment based on the number of inmates.

News of the new facility sparked a mixed response from Appleton residents. Some have organized protests against the measure, including a vigil and rally planned for Saturday afternoon.

Brian Wojtalewicz is a local resident protesting the detention center. He said his main concern in opening the facility is for anyone released from there — perhaps to the rural roads of Appleton, three hours from the Twin Cities and likely far from their attorney or good public transportation options to a big city.

“Are they really going to throw people out on the street? he said. “You know, are we going to get a warning? »

He and other organizers tried to plan to help released inmates there. He said it was difficult to keep tabs on the facility, which is located far from the main road and largely surrounded by private farmland.

Wojtalewicz said he also knows people in town who are happy to see the location open. Appleton’s economy was largely based on the prison; some hope the facility’s job opportunities and staff will give the city a boost.

“Anyone who has lived in small-town America realizes how small towns are on their knees in pursuit of jobs and higher incomes,” Wojtalewicz said.

And jobs at the detention center, he said, pay better than other jobs in the area.

Wojtalewicz said he and other opponents of the site were monitoring the site this week. Lawyers are waiting to see if more clients will be transported to the site – and if they will ultimately be allowed in to see the conditions there.