Captain Jason Johnson of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office confirms that as of Tuesday, the Greene County Jail was holding 176 people apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
According to the sheriff’s office, ICE apprehended some of the detainees locally, while others were taken into custody in Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City. The sheriff’s office says it’s unclear how long these detainees will be held in the local jail, and a federal judge will decide whether they’ll be deported to other countries.
According to Captain Johnson’s written statement, the jail has set aside approximately 300 beds for ICE detainees, depending on the number of state and local arrestees in custody. The US taxpayer reimburses the costs of each federal detainee at $100 per day.
Last month, Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott told Ozarks Public Radio that his office would cooperate with President Donald Trump’s administration on immigration enforcement.
During the presidential campaign, Trump promised the “largest mass deportation program” in US history.
Think tanks estimate that there are approximately 12 million unauthorized migrants in the United States.
