ICE Details a New Minnesota-Based Detention Network That Spans 5 States
Immigration to the United States officials plan to secure long-term detention and transportation capacity for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota and four neighboring states, according to an internal planning document reviewed by WIRED.
The document projects that ICE’s enforcement and removal operations will spend between $20 million and $50 million to secure jail space and establish a private transfer center in Minnesota, capable of moving detainees anywhere “within a 400-mile radius.”
The network is expected to extend beyond Minnesota, where ICE agents conduct aggressive raids, into North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, giving the agency latitude to transfer up to 1,000 people detained around the Twin Cities at any time up to hundreds of miles away.
The plans were drawn up before what Minnesota officials and civil rights groups describe as an “unprecedented deployment” and “federal invasion” in court filings aimed at ending what the U.S. government calls Operation Metro Surge. The operation sent thousands of armed agents into the Twin Cities and was marked by lethal use of force, street checks, bans on dangerous vehicles and mass detentions of American citizens.
The deployment sparked repeated protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul, including marches on downtown hotels where protesters said federal agents were staying, and clashes that resulted in arrests and widespread use of tear gas and chemical irritants. In court, a federal judge placed restrictions on federal agents participating in Metro Surge on the use of force against peaceful protesters and observers. The Trump administration is appealing this decision.
The backlash spread far beyond Minnesota after organizers called for an “ICE Out for Good” weekend of action, with more than 1,000 protests and rallies nationwide.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The increase came amid months of efforts by ICE to anchor a regional transfer center in the Upper Midwest, with federal planning documents last year naming a prison in Appleton, Minn., as a potential site. These records point to an expansion of detention capacity nationwide and a shift to mega-facilities that can hold a thousand people or more.
Internal planning and subsequent public reporting in August 2025 placed Appleton’s long-closed Prairie Correctional Facility at the center of this initiative: a 1,600-bed, ready-made prison that could house inmates housed throughout the region. CoreCivic, which owns the facility, acknowledged at the time that it was pursuing federal opportunities, while Appleton officials said no contracts were in place.
Over time, the prospect of resurrecting the dormant prison grew into local conflict. Clergy and immigrant advocates organized against reopening the facility in October, warning it would force a rural town into mass detention decisions made elsewhere and normalize long-distance transfers preceding deportation. Supporters countered that reopening the prison would bring back jobs lost after its 2010 closure.
In a statement, CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd said the company continues to “ensure the facility is properly maintained” and “explore opportunities with our government partners for which this site could be a viable solution.”
Under federal acquisition rules, ICE may proceed with issuing a solicitation or direct award of a contract in the coming months. Planning documents show it expects an early 2026 award.
Appleton City Administrator John Olinger told WIRED he has had no contact with ICE or CoreCivic since the matter was raised last fall. “The city does not have the power to reject the project,” he said. “The prison is permitted within the zone and therefore does not require any authorization.”
