By the time you read this, those swept up in ICE raids may already be filling some of the 1,000 beds at a troubled for-profit prison in Leavenworth now turned federal detention facility.
The last hurdle for owner CoreCivic to reopen its site was a special use permit from the city of Leavenworth and, after a year of lawsuits and community turmoil, the city finally gave in. The city commission took a final vote March 10 to grant the permit, which passed 4-1.
Commissioners in the majority attempted to excuse their votes by claiming the issue wasn’t about immigration policy but about risk and fiscal responsibility. But that’s like saying traffic laws aren’t about public safety and that you voted against putting a stoplight at a dangerous intersection because the device was too expensive and the city might be sued if it failed…