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A Minnesota prison was for sale at $75M. ICE paid nearly $500M for it
The Independent • • nation
Key Points:
- ICE paid $495.6 million in August to acquire the Prairie Correctional Facility in Minnesota, a price significantly higher than the $75 million previously offered to the state by CoreCivic in May 2025.
- The state declined the earlier offer due to concerns about staffing challenges and costs related to the prison's remote location, issues seemingly overlooked by ICE.
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called for a congressional investigation, accusing the Trump administration of overpaying and benefiting a Trump donor, as CoreCivic had donated $500,000 to the Trump-Vance inaugural committee.
- Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell expressed shock at the federal government's payment, highlighting the $420.6 million difference as an unjustifiable burden on taxpayers.
- The Government Accountability Office has criticized ICE for potential wasteful spending on detention facilities, noting a lack of long-term affordability assessments and citing previous costly decisions.
