ICE Details a New Minnesota-Based Detention Network That Spans 5 States

United States immigration authorities are readying to unafraid semipermanent detention and proscription capableness for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations crossed Minnesota and 4 neighboring states, according to an interior readying papers reviewed by WIRED.

The papers forecasts ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) spending betwixt $20 cardinal and $50 cardinal to unafraid jailhouse abstraction and found a privately tally transportation hub successful Minnesota susceptible of moving detainees anyplace “within a 400-mile radius.”

The web is forecast to scope beyond Minnesota, wherever ICE agents are carrying retired assertive raids, into North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska, giving the bureau latitude to transportation arsenic galore arsenic 1,000 radical detained astir the Twin Cities astatine immoderate clip up to hundreds of miles away.

The plans were formed up of what Minnesota officials and civilian rights groups picture arsenic an “unprecedented deployment” and a “federal invasion” successful tribunal filings that question to halt what the US authorities calls “Operation Metro Surge.” The cognition that has sent thousands of equipped agents into the Twin Cities and has been marked by fatal usage of force, street-level stops, unsafe conveyance interdictions, and wide detentions sweeping up US citizens.

The deployment has sparked repeated protests successful Minneapolis and St. Paul, including marches to downtown hotels wherever demonstrators said national agents were staying, and confrontations that person drawn arrests and wide usage of teardrop state and chemic irritants. In court, a national justice acceptable restrictions connected national agents participating successful Metro Surge from utilizing unit against peaceful protesters and observers. The Trump medication is appealing the ruling.

The backlash has dispersed good beyond Minnesota aft organizers called for an “ICE Out for Good” play of action, with much than 1,000 protests and rallies nationwide.

ICE did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The surge came amid months of efforts by ICE to anchor a determination transportation hub successful the Upper Midwest, with national readying documents from past twelvemonth pointing to a situation successful Appleton, Minnesota, arsenic a imaginable site. Those records outlined a nationwide enlargement of detention capableness and a determination to mega-facilities that tin location a 1000 radical oregon more.

Internal readying and consequent nationalist reporting successful August 2025 placed Appleton’s long-shuttered Prairie Correctional Facility astatine the halfway of that push: a ready-made, 1,600-bed situation that could sorb detainees taken into custody crossed the region. CoreCivic, which owns the facility, acknowledged astatine the clip that it was pursuing national opportunities, portion Appleton officials said nary declaration was successful place.

Over time, the imaginable of resurrecting the dormant situation hardened into a section conflict. Clergy and migrant advocates organized against reopening the installation successful October, informing it would hindrance a agrarian municipality to mass-detention decisions made elsewhere and normalize long-distance transfers preceding deportation. Supporters countered that reopening the situation would bring backmost jobs that were mislaid aft it closed successful 2010.

In a statement, CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd says the institution continues to “ensure the installation is decently maintained” and “explore opportunities with our authorities partners for which this tract could beryllium a viable solution.”

Under national acquisition rules, ICE whitethorn proceed to issuing a solicitation oregon straight awarding a declaration successful the coming months. Planning documents amusement it anticipates an grant successful aboriginal 2026.

Appleton metropolis medication John Olinger tells WIRED that he's had nary interaction with ICE oregon CoreCivic since the substance came up past fall. “The metropolis has nary authorization to cull the plan,” helium says. “The situation is allowed wrong the portion and frankincense does not request immoderate approval.”