CURE stands with clergy, immigrant leaders, and community allies in strong opposition to the reopening of the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, MN, as an ICE detention center.
Reopening this prison—owned by CoreCivic, a private prison corporation with a history of reports of mismanagement, unsafe conditions, and detainee abuse—would violate our deepest humanitarian and spiritual values. At full capacity, the 1,600-bed facility would hold more people than the entire population of Appleton, transforming this small rural community into a site of mass incarceration rather than a place of welcome.
Private detention centers like this are unjust and unsafe. Across the country, private ICE facilities have a history of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and preventable deaths. Many immigrants may be held without due process, and detained people are often exploited for labor at less than $1 per day. Reports also confirm poor working conditions for staff at other private detention facilities, and it is unclear whether any jobs provided by a reopened private detention facility would have significant impacts for the local economy.
Instead of investing in housing, childcare, and workforce development—needs that Appleton families already struggle with—this plan enriches a private prison company that would likely extract millions of taxpayer dollars annually from this facility, profiting from the pain of others.
For more than a hundred years, rural Minnesota has been stronger because of immigrants. They help keep our schools open, strengthen healthcare services, open small businesses, and provide essential workforce support. A private ICE detention center in Appleton undermines these contributions and misrepresents who we are as Minnesotans.
Thus far CoreCivic has failed to be transparent with Appleton residents and local officials. Rumors, incomplete information, and quiet facility upgrades suggest the company is preparing for a contract with ICE without engaging the public. Our community deserves clarity, honesty, and a voice in decisions that will define our future.
To ensure that voice is heard, our coalition is hosting a Public Meeting on Wednesday, November 5 to provide accurate information, answer questions, and give Appleton residents the space to speak out. Together, we can demand accountability from CoreCivic and work toward solutions that strengthen community, not sacrifice rural values for extractive profit seeking.
