Prison company withdraws plan for Elkhart County center

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - A private prison management company has withdrawn its application to build a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in northern Indiana.

Nashville, Tennessee-based CoreCivic had proposed locating a $100 million, 1,200-bed center about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of South Bend, but it faced opposition from nearby communities.

Elkhart County Commissioner Mike Yoder says CoreCivic officials informed the three county commissioners Monday morning that they would withdraw the petition to rezone farmland for the center. Yoder said the company didn't give a reason why.

Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman, who wrote a letter opposing the construction of the detention center and gained a number of co-signers from the business community, was pleased with the decision by the company previously known as Corrections Corp. of America.