At least 52 people have died in ICE custody since Donald Trump took office last January — a record pace that has actually accelerated in Trump’s second year.

Now, a notorious for-profit prison in Kansas that was shut down in 2021 after reports of rampant abuse and brutal conditions has reopened as a center in ICE’s new hub-and-spoke mass deportation network.

Operated by the private prison giant CoreCivic, the Leavenworth facility was described by a judge as an “absolute hell hole” due to chronic understaffing and violence. But as awful as this prison was before, just imagine how much worse it could be with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in charge.

The Intercept has launched a major in-depth investigation to expose CoreCivic and its notorious Leavenworth detention facility.

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With Stephen Miller imposing a quota of 3,000 arrests per day, ICE detention facilities have quickly exceeded their capacity, creating dangerous overcrowding.

Detainees at ICE jails — many managed by for-profit prison contractors — report sewage-flooded cells and sleeping on concrete floors. At the notorious “Alligator Alcatraz,” immigrants sounded the alarm about unbearable 100-degree heat and worm-infested food.

But with CoreCivic’s Leavenworth facility reopened as a central hub of Trump’s mass deportation network, immigrants could face even more dangerous conditions in ICE custody.

The Intercept has been on the forefront of reporting on ICE abuses, and with a record number of immigrants dying in ICE custody, we’re counting on your support to continue this vital coverage.

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