Oklahoma Newsrooms Sue State Over Secret ICE Detention Contracts

Two local newsrooms, The Frontier and Oklahoma Voice, have filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) for withholding records related to its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CoreCivic. The case, filed Wednesday in Oklahoma County District Court, accuses the DOC of violating the Oklahoma Open Records Act by refusing to release the full agreement governing the housing of immigration detainees at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga.

CoreCivic, a for-profit prison operator, announced in October that it had secured a contract with ICE and the Oklahoma DOC to reopen the Diamondback facility for immigration detention. While the DOC released a partial contract in November revealing it receives $833,000 monthly for detention and transport services, it has withheld the intragovernmental services agreement (IGSA) between the DOC and ICE. This IGSA would provide critical details on how the two agencies coordinate oversight and operations at the facility.

The newsrooms argue that the DOC cannot sidestep its public records obligations by deferring to ICE. Leslie Briggs, attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press representing the newsrooms, stated: “DOC has an independent duty to produce the IGSA under state public records law and we intend to ensure the press and the public have access to records detailing the operation of any immigration facility operating in this state.”

If the court sides with the newsrooms, it could order the DOC to release the withheld documents and potentially cover legal fees. This lawsuit highlights ongoing concerns about transparency and accountability in the expanding use of private prisons for immigration detention, a system long plagued by abuses and secrecy.

The public deserves to know how taxpayer money funds these contracts and how oversight is conducted—especially given the troubling history of ICE detention centers nationwide. The DOC’s stonewalling raises urgent questions about what the state might be hiding in its partnership with ICE and CoreCivic. We will be watching this case closely as it unfolds.