Steve Metzer

Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer

A private prison company has announced plans to reopen a long-shuttered prison in Watonga to house illegal immigrants awaiting deportation.

The company, CoreCivic , said it had agreed to terms on a contract to reopen the Diamondback Correctional Facility, which has capacity to house 2,160 people. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based private company said it entered into an Intergovernmental Services Agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume operations at the facility, which has been idle since 2010.

The company said it expects to begin receiving detainees in the first quarter of 2026, with a “full ramp” estimated to be complete by the second quarter of 2026.

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