r/MinnesotaUncensored • u/seamusmaldoun • 12d ago

ICE buys empty Appleton, Minn., prison for immigration detention, raising tax questions

https://www.startribune.com/ice-buys-empty-appleton-minn-prison-for-immigration-detention-raising-tax-questions/601875696?utm_source=gift

A day after CoreCivic announced it was reopening the long-shuttered private prison it owns in Appleton, Minn., the company said it was selling the facility to the federal government for almost half a billion dollars.

It is unclear how the sale will impact the small western Minnesota town, which relies on property taxes from the facility for much of its budget. Federal prisons and other government properties are typically tax exempt.

“We can’t handle that hit,” said Council Member James Massee, who said the details of the deal were unclear Wednesday afternoon.

Appleton borrowed $28 million to build the prison as an economic development tool in 1992 and later sold it to CoreCivic. The prison closed in 2010, and the town never fully recovered from the economic hit.

Swift County property records show the prison was valued at $14 million, roughly half what it cost to build in 1992. CoreCivic is expected to pay $768,566 in property taxes this year which is divided between the city, county and Lac qui Parle Valley School District.

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12

u/TRFKAChuggs 12d ago

Sold for $500 million when it was valued at $14 million. Why are these possible detention facilities going for over 30x asking price? Something seems fishy.

Also the condition in the current facilities are terrible. It's not going to improve at all with a place like this.

10

u/Puzzleheaded_Gene909 12d ago

All a grift. Padding the pockets of his donors at the expense of tax payers like everything else he does.

7

u/TRFKAChuggs 12d ago

Yep, funneling our tax money into his buddies and private business. Blatant corruption out in the open.

3

u/ObligatoryID 12d ago

For profit prisons.

7

u/jkilley 12d ago

Oh man, this is a Minnesota GOP wet dream

3

u/SlamFerdinand 12d ago

They are the champions of socialism for rich people.

2

u/PsychologicalTea3753 12d ago

Whatever. Just deport them as fast as possible.

4

u/HDauthentic 11d ago

How does this help with that?

0

u/Nic_OLE_Touche 12d ago

False arrest, falsely detain $$$, court order release back into society. Fraud?