Former Appleton Detention Facility Acquired by DHS, Now Operational for ICE Detainees
The Appleton Detention Facility, a former private prison in Appleton, Minnesota, has been purchased by the Department of Homeland Security and is now open and operational for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain approximately 1,600 immigrant detainees.
Minneapolis St. Paul, MN, November 11, 2026 — The Appleton Detention Facility, formerly a private correctional institution located in Appleton, Minnesota, has been acquired by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The facility is now operational and being utilized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the detention of immigrant detainees. The facility has the capacity to hold approximately 1,600 individuals.
Details regarding the specific date of acquisition or when operations commenced were not provided in the available information. The property’s transition from private ownership to federal management marks a new chapter for the facility, which previously served a different correctional purpose.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees ICE, which is responsible for enforcing immigration laws and managing the detention of non-citizens within the United States. The operational status of the Appleton Detention Facility means it is now actively housing individuals as part of ICE’s detention network.
The number of detainees it can accommodate, set at around 1,600, positions it as a significant site within the federal immigration enforcement infrastructure. Further details about the operational specifics, including staffing, contractual agreements, or the timeline of its reopening under federal control, were not immediately available.
Story summarized from the original created by Ryan Pattee on kstp.com, see more information here.
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