With the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the news nationally as enforcement surges have swept through Minneapolis and other cities, scrutiny of a local jail that has long had a contract to hold ICE detainees has intensified.
But a recent inspection by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections in response to complaints found the jail meets its standards, despite an ODRC inspection last summer that found the jail over capacity.
Some opposition from residents and immigrant advocates to the Butler County Sheriff’s contract with the Department of Homeland Security, which exists under the federal 287(g) program, has come on general moral grounds. Other critics, including some state lawmakers, have cited more specific reports about overcrowding, lack of heat, lack of medical attention and the fact ICE detainees aren’t separated from other inmates, among other concerns…