Former corrections officer William Rogers still remembers the exact location in 2018, when a prisoner opened his head on a metal lunch tray.

He said: "When he hit the back of my head, I mean it hurts. But I didn't know it was open, right? Because you're going to fight at that time."

Rogers said the long-term discomfort and mismanagement of the now-closed private prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, makes this happen like this. Preventable overdoses, suicide, stabbing, medical negligence and overcrowded memories still bother him.

The jail owner and one of the country’s largest private correctional firms, Corecivic said in a statement that past allegations of dangerous conditions reflected isolated incidents over a limited time frame.

The facility is vacant Since 2021Then-President Joe Biden signed an executive order to phase out a private prison contract with the federal government.

But that may change soon. and Update federal push To expand immigration detention, Corecivic plans to reopen the facility to undertake up to 1,000 immigrants.

Private prison companies are essential for federal immigration authorities and their goals Double the capacity to detain to 100,000 beds.

To this end, members of Congress are considering Expenditure suggestions This will provide $175 billion to the Department of Homeland Security within five years Increased by 65% In the agency's budget.

Now, immigration and customs enforcement or ice is Send a new contract call In private correction companies, in many cases, dormant detention centers are used.

But many of these facilities have a history of serious problems. this Etowa County Detention Center, Alabama because Unsanitary conditions For prisoners.

Ice is also paying attention to Dublin's FCI in the Bay Area Report on rampant sexual abuse The facility has given the grim nickname of “rape club”.

Local litigation, national influence

This proposal reopens a distressed prison, with protests and legal challenges accompanies. Local and state litigation is undermining plans for ICE to reopen Delaney Hall Facilities in New Jersey Through a contract with another major private prison company, Geo Group.

Federal officials arrested Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka outside the ice rink Friday during the protests. Alina Habba, New Jersey, wrote on social media that Baraka “had committed a trespass and ignored multiple warnings from the Homeland Security Investigation to remove herself from the Ice Detention Center in Newark” and that no one was beyond the law.

The City of Newark is suing Geo Group for access and inspection rights. Baraka held several protests outside the facility’s gates, and it’s no secret that his opponents have surpassed the focus on city regulations.

He is February statement.

"The intention of ICE to round up 'criminals' is a thin veil and does not hide their plans to violate the rights of the people, blaspheme the Constitution and demolish our democracy," Baraka said.

Kansas is in a similar standoff. Leavenworth believes Corecivic needs to follow a two-month formal process before reopening its previous prisons and has multiple opportunities for public input.

Corecivic insists that the rules do not apply because it has never been closed even if the last inmate left the facility in 2021.

With hearings in the coming weeks, it is not clear who will win in court. Still, the company is still hiring and building.

Like a New Jersey law, laws against immigration detention are hard to stick to.

But Professor David S. Rubenstein of Topeka Washburn University said smaller local governments use their power to face serious challenges for ice and its contractors.

“The zoning objection is not aimed at immigration detention, but is used as a way to throw some sand on the gears,” he said.

Advocate: Fast pace, greater risks

Concerns about ICE’s detention expansion plans for immigration rights advocates and former prison employees far exceed possible violations of local laws.

Immigration lawyer says they have heard it Reports on overcrowded and inhumane conditions in the Ice Detention Center and on-site office.

They say detainees (many of them lack criminal records) have been days since there was no food, water and bathroom access, sometimes on crowded buses when the ice can't find other places to place them.

"These conditions will be allowed to thrive without proper supervision and rush to mass detention," said Eunice Cho, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.

These reports, combined with the prospect of reopening of some infamous facilities, bring traumatic memories to inmates and staff.

Marcia Levering was shocked when she talked about her experience working at Corecivic at a Leavenworth City Council meeting in March.

She stood with the support of her cane, on a podium, with a close friend standing quietly beside her.

"Unit 4 accidentally opened the wrong door, again because we were understaffed, allowing prisoners to come out and throw boiling water in my face," she said.

Before any correctional officer responded, Lever said the inmate stabbed her four times on the ground. The ear on the left side of her face was paralyzed.

After four years and 16 surgeries, Levering said she is still recovering. Despite her injuries, she spoke for three hours from her home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Corecivic's refusal to symbolize profit-driven dynamics that change its life process during the normal licensing process in Leavenworth.

“Corecivic has taken the shortcuts and still hopes to make it by reopening with the backdoor process,” she said.