ICE Deal to Reopen Long-Shuttered Minnesota Private Prison

Appleton, MN (MinnesotaNow) - The company that owns a private prison in western Minnesota has announced a five-year contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Facility Has Been Idle Since 2010

A news release issued today by Tennessee-based CoreCivic says the agreement will allow ICE to utilize the 1,600-bed Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton. The correctional center has been idle since 2010.

Five-Year ICE Contract Announced

Patrick D. Swindle, CoreCivic's chief executive officer, commented, "We are pleased to announce the new contract at our Prairie Correctional Facility. While this facility has been idle since 2010, we have made investments to help ensure an efficient reactivation in the event of a new contract. The geographic location of this facility, similar to our other recent contract awards, improves our ability to support our government partner throughout the United States."

What the ICE Agreement Includes

According to the company, after expenses for reopening the facility and the phased arrival of detainees, CoreCivic expects the ICE contract will generate about $75 million a year in revenue. The agreement calls for ICE to pay a fixed monthly amount and per diem payments based on the number of people housed in the facility.

(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Detainee Processing Timeline

CoreCivic says it anticipates the first ICE detainees will be processed into the correctional center in the fourth quarter of this year, with the facility becoming fully operational in the second quarter of next year.

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SOLD: Minnesota's 'Mushroom House' aka 'Flintstone House' Has A New Owner

Welcome to 1401 Mississippi Ave — known around Duluth for more than fifty years as "The Mushroom House" or "The Flinstone House."

The 5-bedroom, 3-bath house was built in 1970 using an innovative foam-shell construction method. The home's triple-dome design creates curved walls, soaring dome ceilings, and spaces that feel more sculpted than built.

The main level of this 2,800 square foot home opens into a sunken living room with a built-in sofa and a dramatic wall of seven-foot patio doors leading to a wraparound deck overlooking the trees.

The arched kitchen carries the home's organic geometry throughout, with a breakfast bar that feels as much like it belongs in an art installation as in a home.

The primary bedroom offers vaulted ceilings and epoxy flooring. A second bedroom and three-quarter bath complete the main floor.

Head downstairs, and the walk-out lower level opens into a spacious great room with beamed ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, and patio access to the wooded backyard. Three additional bedrooms, a full bath, a half bath, and a laundry room create flexibility for whatever the next owner needs.

However, what makes this home truly remarkable is not just what it looks like; it is what has been done to protect it.

In 2021, new epoxy flooring was installed throughout the primary bedroom and lower-level family room, new carpet went into the lower-level bedrooms and upper office, the sewer lateral was replaced, and a full-house dehumidifier and whole-home ozone air scrubber were added.

In 2022, the exterior received a professional repaint with UV-resistant paint, and all skylights were sealed.

In 2024, all 16 windows were replaced. The home sits on a private, wooded 0.60-acre lot in Kenwood, within walking distance to the University of Minnesota Duluth and the College of St. Scholastica, with a two-stall attached garage with loft storage rounding out the package.

The home went back on the market in Duluth in May 2026 for $369,999. It ultimately sold for more than that asking price. You can see the closing price in the final picture.

Gallery Credit: Alicia Lokke with The Lokke Group at Messina & Associates Real Estate

Source: ICE Deal to Reopen Long-Shuttered Minnesota Private Prison

Filed Under: Minnesota

Categories: Minnesota & Wisconsin News