The number of detainees in Kentucky county jails contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surged 659% from January to August, according to a report by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
In January, Boone County Detention Center was the state’s only full-time ICE detention facility, holding roughly 120 detainees. By August, nine county jails had contracted with ICE, and the total number of detainees rose to 914.
The figures, compiled by KyPolicy with assistance from Relevant Research, calculate the average daily population in ICE-contracted jails across the country in two-week intervals, based on ICE data.
Since taking office in January, former President Donald Trump dramatically changed federal immigration policy, aiming for mass deportations of the estimated 14 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. His administration increasingly relied on local law enforcement and prisons to assist ICE, which sought to arrest 3,000 immigrants per day.
In Kentucky, Boone County’s ICE detainee population nearly doubled by August, but the largest growth came from additional county jails contracting with ICE for the first time.
Oldham County Detention Center contracted with ICE in February, reaching an average of 131 detainees by August. Grayson County Detention Center began housing ICE detainees the same month, growing to over 100 by June.
Hopkins County Jail became the fifth ICE-contracted facility in May and held nearly 180 detainees by August, the largest number outside Boone County. Campbell County Detention Center contracted with ICE in April, reaching nearly 150 detainees by mid-August. Kenton County Jail also began housing ICE detainees this summer, holding roughly 84 by August.
Other Kentucky jails contracting with ICE this year include Bourbon, Fayette, and Laurel counties, though each averaged fewer than a dozen detainees in the reporting intervals.
The report also noted that ICE arrested nearly 1,300 people in Kentucky from mid-January to the end of July, a 37.6% increase from the same period in 2024.
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