ICE Plans Minnesota-Centered Detention Network Across Five States
US immigration authorities are preparing to expand long-term detention and transportation capacity for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations throughout Minnesota and four neighboring states, according to an internal planning document obtained by WIRED.
The document projects that ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division will spend between $20 million and $50 million to secure jail space and create a privately operated transfer hub in Minnesota. The hub would be capable of transporting detainees anywhere within a 400-mile radius.
Under the plan, the detention network would extend beyond Minnesota—where ICE agents have been conducting aggressive enforcement actions—into North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. The setup would allow the agency to relocate as many as 1,000 people detained in and around the Twin Cities at any given time, potentially sending them hundreds of miles away.
The planning effort predates what Minnesota officials and civil rights organizations describe in court filings as an “unprecedented deployment” and a “federal invasion.” Those filings seek to block what the federal government calls Operation Metro Surge, which has brought thousands of armed agents into the Twin Cities. The operation has involved fatal uses of force, street-level stops, high-risk vehicle interdictions, and mass detentions that have at times included US citizens.
The deployment has triggered repeated protests in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, including demonstrations at downtown hotels where protesters said federal agents were staying. Some confrontations have led to arrests and the widespread use of tear gas and other chemical irritants. A federal judge has imposed limits on the use of force by agents participating in Metro Surge when dealing with peaceful protesters and observers, a ruling the Trump administration is now appealing.
Opposition has also spread beyond Minnesota. Organizers called for an “ICE Out for Good” national weekend of action, resulting in more than 1,000 protests and rallies across the country.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
The enforcement surge follows months of ICE efforts to establish a regional transfer hub in the Upper Midwest. Federal planning documents from last year identified a prison in Appleton, Minnesota, as a possible site. Those records described a broader nationwide expansion of detention capacity and a shift toward large-scale facilities capable of holding 1,000 or more people.
By August 2025, internal planning and public reporting had placed the long-closed Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton at the center of that strategy. The privately owned prison has 1,600 beds and could house detainees taken into custody across the region. CoreCivic, which owns the facility, confirmed at the time that it was pursuing federal contracts, while city officials in Appleton said no agreement had been finalized.
As discussions continued, the possibility of reopening the prison became a flashpoint locally. In October, clergy members and immigrant advocates organized opposition, warning that reviving the facility would tie a rural community to mass-detention policies decided elsewhere and normalize long-distance transfers ahead of deportation. Supporters argued that reopening the prison would restore jobs lost when it closed in 2010.
CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd said in a statement that the company continues to “ensure the facility is properly maintained” and to “explore opportunities with our government partners for which this site could be a viable solution.”
Under federal procurement rules, ICE could move forward by issuing a solicitation or awarding a contract directly in the coming months. Planning documents indicate the agency expects to make an award in early 2026.
Appleton city administrator John Olinger told WIRED that he has not been contacted by ICE or CoreCivic since the issue emerged last fall. “The city has no authority to reject the plan,” he said. “The prison is allowed within the zone and thus does not need any approval.”
