A Kansas town known for its prisons is allowing a shuttered private prison to reopen as an immigrant detention facility after a nearly yearlong legal fight. The City Commission in Leavenworth on Tuesday approved a special use permit to giant private prison operator CoreCivic. Members voted 4-1 to approve a three-year permit with conditions that set minimum staffing levels, ban on housing minors and call for city oversight. The 1,104-bed Midwest Regional Reception Center is located 10 miles west of the Kansas City International Airport. CoreCivic has said the center will generate $60 million annually once it’s fully open. But many area residents oppose reopening the prison.
