Resident urges Leavenworth City to oppose proposed CoreCivic immigration facility

Daniel McIntosh, a Leavenworth resident, used the public-comment period at the Oct. 27 Leavenworth City Commission meeting to urge the city to oppose the opening of a CoreCivic-run immigration detention center in the community.

"This place is built to break us. There's nothing but harassment and torture here. It's inhumane, unsanitary, and a health hazard every single day," McIntosh said, quoting statements he attributed to a detainee at a CoreCivic-run immigration facility. He asked the commission to “do all that it legally can to oppose the opening of a CoreCivic immigration center in our community.”

McIntosh framed his remarks around broader objections to private detention, saying private companies "make millions from their detention" and that local governments should not welcome facilities that, he said, deny due process and mistreat people based on immigration status. He referenced a detainee named Sokian Keogh and recited lines invoking the Statue of Liberty as a call to preserve immigrant protections.

The public-comment period is an opportunity for residents to speak to the commission; the mayor noted the commission and staff generally would not respond during that period but may follow up after the meeting. The transcript records McIntosh's testimony but does not record any formal city action, staff response or a request by the mayor to place the matter on a future agenda.

What happens next: The commission did not take immediate action during the meeting. If the resident's concerns prompt staff or a commissioner to seek a formal stance, the matter would need to be placed on a future agenda for discussion or a resolution. For now, the statement stands as public record of local opposition.