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This page has been updated to reflect that the City of Leavenworth sued CoreCivic on March 31, 2025 for attempting to reopen without a permit, in violation of city ordinance. This came after community members and former employees testified against allowing the facility to reopen and the City passed a unanimous resolution requiring the company go through the special use permit process. CoreCivic had initially applied for a permit but withdrew a few weeks later. 

As a for-profit prison corporation, CoreCivic has a long track record of running facilities rife with dangerous conditions across the country—so much so that the company rebranded in 2016 to separate itself from its previous identity, Corrections Corporation of America. Across the country, CoreCivic is known for its mismanagement, forced labor, inhumane living conditions, excessive use of force, prolonged use of solitary confinement, medical negligence, physical and sexual abuse, spying and voyeurism, overcrowding, understaffing, and other civil rights violations. There are decades' worth of traumatized and deeply harmed staff and residents whose lives were forever changed, many by permanent and debilitating injuries, from their experiences in a CoreCivic facility. 

It has been no different at the CoreCivic facility in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Beyond the expected, hollow talking points from its responsive public affairs department, CoreCivic has never meaningfully answered for the "hell hole" of horrendous conditions when the Leavenworth facility housed federal detainees and the rampant violence that contributed to its closure. A 2017 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General's report found understaffing and lack of oversight that lead to “issues affecting the safety and security” of the facility, and detainees and officers there at the time have expressed that conditions only got worse after that report. In 2021, the ACLU affiliates and federal public defender offices in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska sent a joint letter to the White House Domestic Policy Counsel detailing the numerous reports each office had received about the Leavenworth facility from current and former staff and from residents and their families. CoreCivic's severe understaffing and profit-driven shortcuts ensured that stabbings, suicides, and homicides occurred with alarming frequency. Weapons, drugs, and other contraband were a common occurrence. In addition to all of the violence, CoreCivic neglected basic human needs in its Leavenworth Facility, restricting food, curtailing or cutting off contact with legal counsel and family, limiting medical care and even basic necessities like showers.

In consistency with then-President Biden's policy against private prisons, the U.S. Marshall allowed its contract with CoreCivic to end as planned in December 2021. The Leavenworth facility, or Midwest Regional Reception Center, has sat empty since.

But an empty building is a financial loss—and it's no secret CoreCivic has been yearning to fill the Midwest Regional facility back up and hit those quarterly financial goals. Where the Constitution creates some obstacles to profitability by establishing basic human rights for people on American soil, it's nonetheless clear that CoreCivic has turned to an easier moneymaker: immigration detention. 

Under the Biden administration, CoreCivic and other corporations' profits skyrocketed with increased ICE detentions, and little is expected to change with the new Trump administration. CoreCivic was also heavily involved in family separation, and tried to silence journalists who reported on it. 

In late February, CoreCivic submitted its application to the City of Leavenworth, an explicit statement of its purpose of opening the facility for ICE detentions. In previous years when the possibility of an ICE facility has arisen, numerous members of the Leavenworth community have made it clear that, for a wide range of reasons, CoreCivic is unwelcome in Kansas's First City.

We know that we cannot trust CoreCivic and its approach to business to keep anyone safe - and we cannot afford the cost of allowing it to reopen the Midwest Regional facility that would harm immigrants, their families, staff, and the surrounding community.

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Leavenworth City - Release RE CoreCivic SUP Feb 2025

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• Read more about We Cannot Trust CoreCivic to Keep Anyone Safe — in Leavenworth or Anywhere Else

We are almost a third of the way through the legislative session! As turnaround approaches at the end of this week (February 20th), committees crammed in many bill hearings on a variety of different areas to keep bills from dying in committee (this would happen if the bill did not receive a committee hearing before February 20th), which would end the bill’s life for this year’s session. Monday (2/17) was the final day non-exempt committees met before turnaround, which means only a handful of committees will continue to meet throughout the coming weeks. If a bill did not receive a hearing, but is moved to an exempt committee, the bill is still considered alive for this session and has a chance to continue through the legislative process. We hope you find this legislative update helpful in knowing which bills of interest will continue to move through the legislative process and which bills will die in committee. 

Positive Outcomes from the Week! 

HB 2179: This bill would prohibit fines, fees and costs from being assessed against a juvenile or a juvenile's parent, guardian or custodian. The ACLU supports this initiative because justice should not be a monetary process. No youth or family should be saddled in debt, prohibiting them from rehabilitation. This bill had a hearing on 2/11, at which the ACLU provided in-person testimony in support of its passage. HB 2179 was passed out of committee on 2/13.  

HB 2330: This bill designates November 14th as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, commemorating a pivotal moment in civil rights history. The designation holds particular significance for Kansas, which was at the center of the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The bill recognizes Ruby Nell Bridges, who at age six became the youngest African American student to integrate public schools, making her a symbol of the civil rights movement. The ACLU strongly supports this designation, and a hearing was held on February 17th. 

Criminal Legal Reform 

This was an extremely active period for bills relating to Criminal Legal Reform, as many committees focused on topics in this issue area. In addition to HB 2179, which prohibits fines and fees for juveniles, which passed out of committee, the following bills also had action this week. 

• HB 2228: HB 2228 would require the Secretary of Corrections to assist inmates with obtaining identification and employment related documentation prior to release from custody. This would help individuals better assimilate into the community and work force after incarceration. This bill had a hearing on 2/11, was passed out of committee on 2/13, and is strongly supported by the ACLU of Kansas. 
• HB 2325: The ACLU opposes this bill that would authorize judges to commit juvenile offenders to detention for technical violations of probation and would increase the cumulative detention limit for juvenile offenders and increase criminal penalties for juvenile offenders who use a firearm in the commission of an offense or who are repeat offenders. Increased detention times not only hurt our youth, but can cause a destructive cycle, further prohibiting rehabilitation and instead causing more harm to youth and their support networks. HB 2325 had a hearing on 2/14.  

Voting Rights 

Voting rights and voting suppression have remained a target for the 2025 legislature. Bills negatively impacting voter access and our democratic process have continued to rush through both chambers, with several more passing out of committee this week. 

• SB 4:  This bill would eliminate the 3-day mail processing window, disenfranchising thousands of Kansas voters, especially voters in rural areas or who have disabilities or other limitations in movement. We are vehemently opposed to this bill and submitted opposition testimony in Senate Federal & State Affairs. The bill passed in the Senate on 2/5. The ACLU submitted in-person opposition testimony to the hearing on this bill in House Elections on 2/11. This bill passed out of committee on 2/13 and is headed to the House floor for a vote. Take action to oppose this bill TODAY by contacting your representatives.
• HB 2016:  This bill would add private, online obituary notices as a method of removing deceased voters from the rolls. The ACLU believes this to be an insufficient method for removing voters because obituary notices frequently lack critical identifying information. The ACLU submitted opposition testimony; however, the bill was passed out of committee on 2/13. 

Immigration  

• HB 2373: If passed, this bill would take away in-state tuition from undocumented immigrants. It would also require any person who cannot verify their citizenship when charged with a crime be presumed a flight risk and held on bond. This legislation would presume a person is guilty of being a flight risk based solely on their documentation status, resulting in bond as a detention method due to inability to pay. Its companion bill, SB254, was introduced in the Senate. The ACLU of Kansas strongly opposes this measure. 
• SCR 1602:  This resolution encourages the Kelly administration to fully cooperate with the Trump administration on all matters related to the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants. It passed out of committee on 2/17 and is headed to the House floor for a final vote. While the resolution has no force of law behind it, the ACLU is still fundamentally opposed to the notion of state resources being used to target immigrant communities.    

LGBTQ+ 

The first veto of the legislative session occurred this week on a bill pertaining to LGBTQ rights. Republican legislatures have continued to attack trans kids’ rights throughout the session, but we are not backing down. 

• SB 63: This bill will effectively ban access to all medically necessary healthcare (puberty blockers, HRT, etc.)  for trans Kansans under 18 years old and violate parents’ rights to control the healthcare decisions for their children. The ACLU of Kansas testified in person in opposition; however, the bill was passed by both chambers and was sent to the Governor to sign into law. Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill on 2/11 and sent it back to the legislature. To override the Governor’s veto, a two-thirds majority from both chambers must vote in favor of the override. 
• SB 76: This bill, which is opposed by the ACLU of Kansas, requires employees of school districts and postsecondary institutions to use names and pronouns consistent with a student's biological sex as stated on their birth certificate, unless parents provide written consent. It also protects individuals from disciplinary action if they refuse to use a student's chosen name or pronouns and permits lawsuits from anyone who overhears such usage. SB 76 was passed out of committee on 2/17. This bill would be a violation of students’ privacy and put their safety at risk, while placing extreme administrative burdens on schools and school districts. 
• HB 2311: HB 2311, opposed by the ACLU of Kansas, would allow discrimination of LGBTQ youth in child placements, allowing individuals refuse placements if they disagree with their sexual orientation or identity. The Secretary retains the ability to consider the religious and moral beliefs of the child, their biological family, and their community when determining appropriate placements. The bill explicitly states that it does not prevent the Secretary from making placements that serve the best interests of the child as required by law. A Hearing on HB 2311 was held on 2/17. 

Free Speech/DEI 

• HB 2299: The ACLU of Kansas opposes this bill, which infringes on speech protected by the First Amendment at public educational institutions.  The bill authorizes the Attorney General to pursue investigations that also infringe on the right to free expression and assess civil penalties, all in clear violation of the First Amendment. HB 2299 had a hearing on Friday 2/14 and was discussed by the committee on 2/17. 

As we hit turnaround this week, bills will be pushed through both chambers, so be sure to stay informed through our Legislative Hub to find out how to take action on key priorities this week. 

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• Read more about Legislative Update: Week 5

Many of you took action a few weeks ago by asking lawmakers to vote NO on SB 63 and protect parents’ rights to make decisions that are best for their kids. Check out how your legislators voted on the KS legislature website. Despite hearing from countless Kansans like you who oppose this extremist and harmful law, both the House and Senate voted to pass SB 63, which would ban gender affirming care for trans youth. 

Gov. Kelly vetoed SB 63, and it now goes to each chamber for a veto override vote. This bill isn't about protecting Kansas kids--it’s about extremist politicians attempting to control our families and our bodies. Freedom for Kansans depends on the freedom of all people to be themselves without fear. A threat against trans kids is a threat against each of us. Now is the time to ask your elected officials to sustain the veto and keep this dangerous bill from becoming law! 

Take action today by following this link to contact your legislators. When you click on the link, it will ask you to fill in your address, which will automatically route your message to the legislators who represent you. After you’ve sent your message, make sure to forward this email to your network! 

Looking for ways to get more involved? We have New Member Orientations every month. Sign up for February’s on our website with this link.  

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• Read more about Take Action on SB 63