A private prison company has fought for months to open an immigration detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas. Even though a court has temporarily barred the facility from holding detainees, CoreCivic has hired dozens of detention officers and is advertising more positions.

It’s been two months since a Kansas court temporarily blocked the company CoreCivic from reopening a former private prison as an immigration detention facility. The City of Leavenworth sought the order because CoreCivic has not obtained a special use permit — a requirement the company rejects. Seemingly undeterred by the legal setbacks, CoreCivic is now on a hiring spree. Kansas News Service editor Stephen Koranda sat down with politics reporter Zane Irwin to discuss where things stand in Leavenworth.

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