According to a report published by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, more than 60 percent of people transferred from the Walker County Jail to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody last year were originally arrested on charges of driving without a valid license.
Data obtained by the newspaper through an open records request showed 120 people were eventually transferred to ICE custody from the Walker County Jail during 2025. Fourteen of those arrests involved charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, making it the second most common charge among those transferred.
The report found only a small number of inmates transferred to ICE custody faced violent crime charges. Three people were charged with family violence, one with aggravated assault, and another with cruelty to children. More than three-quarters of those arrested also faced additional secondary charges, including various traffic-related offenses…