Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz could soon face a new challenge from ICE’s expanding network of detention centers, following the opening or repurposing of major facilities in Florida, New Jersey, Texas, and other states.
One candidate for ICE’s next site is a private prison that closed more than a decade ago and became obsolete after a 2024 law banned non-governmental state penitentiaries. The defunct Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, near the South Dakota border, is reportedly under consideration, according to documents reported by Minnesota Public Radio News.
An Appleton official told MPR News the city is not currently in contact with ICE. However, the prison’s owner, who operated the facility until 2010, is seeking a federal contract.
The state law does not appear to restrict federal use of private prisons. Fox News Digital reached out to Walz — who opposed President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy during the 2024 presidential sweeps — for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
In addition to Minnesota, other potential sites are highlighted on a map curated by the Washington Post, including Alligator Alcatraz in Ochopee, Florida, which is currently stalled due to a ruling from an Obama-appointed judge.
Among existing private prisons, some rank among the world’s largest ICE detention facilities. The Reeves County Detention Center (RCDC) in Pecos, Texas, can hold up to 3,700 detainees. Documents reviewed by the Post also mention a “Brownsville Family” facility near the border with a proposed capacity of 3,500.
Federal authorities already use Fort Bliss in El Paso for immigration-related detentions. The plan to repurpose part of the historic site drew criticism from the local ACLU chapter, which compared the move to the internment of Japanese Americans under former President Franklin Roosevelt.
In California City, outside Bakersfield, plans are underway to house ICE detainees at another former private prison. CoreCivic — the same vendor associated with the Minnesota facility — reached an agreement with federal authorities to repurpose its 2,560-bed facility. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who opposes private prisons, saw a 2019 ban overturned by a federal court ruling that the law could not be applied to federal facilities.
The largest ICE detention center in the Northeast, the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, is near Penn State in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, and holds roughly 1,800 people. Texas, Louisiana, and California rank among the top three states for migrant detentions, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Washington Post reports that at least 19 states could have detention-purposed facilities by the end of the year.
