ICE Opens Appleton Detention Facility
The federal government's newly purchased former private prison in Appleton, Minnesota began receiving detainees, with CoreCivic operating the site under contract.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Immigration
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement opened the Appleton Detention Facility in Appleton, Minnesota on November 9, 2026, after buying the former private prison from CoreCivic for $496 million. CoreCivic was hired by ICE to operate the facility and expects to earn $75 million from the deal.
Why it matters
ICE stated the site gives immediate detention capacity without waiting years for new construction and strengthens its ability to enforce immigration laws and carry out mass deportations. The move adds detention space in western Minnesota, where a city of about 1,400 residents is now host to a federal immigration facility.
ICE paid $496 million for the former prison, while Minnesota had been offered it for $75 million a year earlier and replacing the Stillwater prison was estimated at about $1.3 billion. The extraction does not specify the facility's eventual detainee capacity or the total number of detainees currently held.
The players
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration law in the United States, which bought the Appleton prison and opened it as a detention facility.
CoreCivic
A private prison operator that sold the Appleton facility to the federal government and was hired to run it under contract.
The details
Detainee buses made their first drop-offs on Monday evening, with one of six white prison buses delivering several detainees. The federal detainee locator lists at least one immigrant in custody at the facility, and CoreCivic has hired about 125 people so far, with 500 employees needed at full capacity.
Timeline
August 2026: The federal government purchased the former prison from CoreCivic.
November 9, 2026: ICE opened the Appleton Detention Facility.
Saturday, November 14, 2026: A vigil and rally opposing the facility is planned.
2027: The facility is expected to reach full capacity.
Market Landscape
The $496 million federal purchase is roughly 6.6 times the $75 million the Minnesota Department of Corrections was offered a year earlier for the same facility. The price gap places the deal against the roughly $1.3 billion estimated cost of replacing the Stillwater prison, a state benchmark for new prison construction.
Residents of Appleton and surrounding western Minnesota communities will see the facility's staffing needs grow toward 500 employees, which could affect local hiring and the single hotel that workers have already filled. The planned Saturday vigil signals local opposition that may shape how the facility is received in the community.
The takeaway
The Appleton facility shows how the federal government can add detention capacity quickly by purchasing an existing private prison rather than building new facilities. Readers tracking immigration enforcement costs can compare this $496 million purchase with state prison replacement estimates.
What happens next
A vigil and rally opposing the facility is planned for Saturday, November 14, 2026, and the facility is expected to reach full capacity next year, with 500 employees needed at that point.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Immigration news on the detention system.
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